The boy in blue
by TheGifterofGab
Summary: Now; without a annoying, worthless son you have to care for! Piper X Male!SS
1. Chapter 1

''Argh! You let me in right now, Danny Sulli-...Hmm.'' She turned around, noticed me mid-sentence, and seemed to ponder something. I honestly wanted to stay out of it, but I have no choice now, I guess. ''You. You wanna get into Diamond city?'' She was rather good looking, wearing a press hat, she looked like the stereotypical journalist. ''It's kinda losing it's appeal now.'' ''Ha, wait till you get inside.'' She leaned back into the intercom. ''Oh, what's that? You're trader from up north? Oh well, it seems like the gates are closed right now-'' ''Wait! Wait!...Okay, I'm opening the gate.'' Whatever the fuck that thing is, pulled the gate up allowing us entrance. I looked towards the girl. ''Ladies first.'' ''Wouldn't have it any other way.''

''Piper! Who let you in?'' ''I would guess the guy operating the gates.'' The man who stormed out of nowhere, sideways glanced at me, then back to Piper. ''You devious rabble-rousing slanderer! The...The level of dishonesty in that paper of yours! I'll have it scrapped for parts!'' Piper waved in his face, tauntingly. ''Oh, is that a statement, McDounough? ''Tyrant Mayor shuts down Press!'' ''Well, that's certainly a headline.'' ''Absolutely. Could put that right next to the funnies.'' ''Screw that, you could put it IN the funnies.'' She laughed, and I smiled wide. She actually seemed like a genuinely nice person. The mayor looked at me. ''Oh, no sir, I don't mean to drag you into this! Why, you look like Diamond city material!'' I looked down at my blue jumpsuit. ''You guys obviously have low standards.'' He sighed. ''Hey, Blue, do you support the news?'' I looked around. Blue? Oh, my jumpsuit. ''Yeah, I always supported freedom of press.'' ''Hear that, McDounough? Guess not everyone's fooled by your con man smile.'' This is actually very entertaining. ''You-...I'm not a crook!'' ''Nixon said the same thing.'' He threw up his hands in defeat. ''Just don't let this muckraker here taint the image of diamond city.'' Fuck is a muckraker? ''I won't Mayor Watergate.'' He cleared his throat. ''Now, is there anything in particular you came to this city for?'' ''Yeah, I'm looking for a detective. Nick Valentine?'' ''You know Nick?'' I turned to Piper. ''Yeah, you know him too?'' She crossed her arms. ''Yeah, and I'll lead you to him. For just one thing.'' ''What's that?'' She smiled toothily. ''You tell me about that outfit of yours.''

''So, what are you REALLY looking for?'' I tilted my head to the side. Should I just tell a random person I just met that I'm on a vendetta? ''That's a long story.'' ''We all have some.'' ''Maybe. Some guy. Hitman sort of guy. Shot-...'' My voice cracked on that word. My mind played back the gunshot over and over and over again. ''My wife. Right in the head.'' She gasped lightly and frowned. ''Oh my gosh, Blue...I'm so sorry-'' ''No, it's not your fault. I found a vault, full of trigger men, and after I cleared it out, I found Nick. And now here I am. Spilling my life story to a reporter.'' She smiled a little. ''A special reporter! Listen, Blue, I know this must be hard for you, considering you lost your wife and all...Maybe...Maybe you'd want me to accompany-'' ''No, I can't make you do that. You have your job here, and your sister you need to care for.'' She bit her lip and rubbed her hands together. ''That's the thing. I'm thinking that she...Nevermind, forget I said anything. But you're not forcing me to come with you. I want to, willingly. It's the least I can do, since you told me about your wife and that. And the fact that you even gave me a interview.'' I really did like Piper, even if we just met, she seems like a nice person. And it is getting pretty lonely stumbling around the wasteland. ''...If it's something you really wanna do, then yes, you can come with me.'' She smiled wide. ''I'll make sure you don't regret it! But it is getting late, so if you wanna stay here on the couch...'' I blushed a little, but kept my head down to hide it. It won't be wrong if I just slept at a friend's place, right? I'm only sleeping on the couch. ''If it's okay with you.'' ''Yeah, uh,...Yeah!.'' ''Mmhm.'' We both stood around awkwardly. ''So, I guess...Just follow me then...''

I laid on the couch, thinking. I took out my 10MM and pulled the slide back and forth. Like a very dangerous stress ball. Death hits very hard. Just one bullet changed my life forever. ''Can't sleep either, huh?'' I turned and noticed Piper standing behind me. ''Huh? Oh, uh, no. Just thinking...'' I sat up, giving her space to sit next to me. ''I know how you feel, Blue. It's terrible losing a loved one. You never really truly understand how much a person means to you-...Means to you after you die.'' I noticed her voice crack as she was talking. ''It's a rude fucking awakening, I'll tell you that much...Was it easy growing up in the wasteland?'' ''Well, not really. I mean, I can see where you're coming from, having to adjust from a normal life, to something like this...My father. Worked for the local militia.'' ''A good soldier?'' ''Very! I swear he could take down a whole encampment of bandits and raiders with just his hands! He was my hero.'' She smiled, and it lit up both the room, and my heart. I could tell her Dad must've meant a lot to her. Her smile quickly turned to a frown, though. ''But one day...He turns up dead...'' Shit... ''Jesus Christ... I'm sorry Piper.'' She smiled weakly. ''Thank you...His captain, an asshole named Mayburn says Raiders must have gotten him on watch, but I knew the truth. Cap sold out. Thought he wasn't getting paid enough, and my dad was gonna call him out. Mayburn got to him first. Lead the gates open one night, Raiders come in to sack the place. I tell the mayor, but he won't do shit. So, what's a girl to do? I covered the town in posters, ''Captain Mayburn; wanted for gross dereliction of duty." Huh, mayor was pretty talkative after that. Town threw him out, and turned away a very surprised group of raiders.'' I smiled to myself. That was extremely admirable of her to do something like that. Took matters into her own hands. ''You're a hero, Piper.'' ''No, the people are the heroes. They knew the truth. But, hey I'm rambling again.'' I waved it off. ''Don't worry about it. I'm sure this town must like you, huh?'' I smiled wide, but she didn't seem to agree. ''Yeah, uh... They don't seem to think so. They're right, probably. I'm just a nosy, annoying, pushy reporter.'' She looked down, and I could tell she believed what she said.

I put my hand on her shoulder and felt her tense up. ''Piper, fuck those people. If they don't appreciate what you've done, don't let it get to you. When I was in the army, I never felt like I was able to fit in with anybody. I was the best soldier in the place, but that only drew them away from me. But, even if I did fit in with them, that wouldn't stop me from taking a bullet.'' She relaxed under my grip and leaned into my shoulder. ''And you're right about what you said. When someone dies, you realize just how different your entire life is without them.'' ''You'll never see them again for as long as you li-live.'' I pulled her into my shoulder, and she started relentlessly crying. It broke my heart to see her like this, so I wrapped her in a hug, and traced circles on her back. We stayed like that, for the rest of the night. It was the one time after coming out of the vault that I felt comfortable. I feel like I belong here.


	2. Chapter 2

''Let's head to the bar. We could get an early drink before we go see Nick, if you want.'' ''Sure. Lead the way.'' We exited the house and Piper led me over to the Colonial Taphouse. Sounds like a nice place. As we walked through the door, I noticed just how full it was. Adventurers, mercs, residents, it was busy, considering it was like 12 in the afternoon. ''Hey. What can I get you?'' The bartender spoke with a deep voice, and was serving a lady seated at the bar. I ordered two drinks, one for me and one for Piper. I pulled the chair out for Piper, and she looked very confused at my gesture. ''...Uh...'' ''What are you doing?'' ''Holding the chair for you...Being a gentleman, I guess.'' She blinked in surprise. ''Wow, uh, okay. Gee, thanks Blue...Don't see many people like you nowadays, huh?'' I took my seat as we spoke. ''I guess not.'' ''Hey, um... I just wanted to say, thank you.'' ''For what?'' ''Just...Comforting me, last night, you know?'' She looked down, a blush appearing on her cheeks. ''No problem. Would you want to, maybe-'' The door swung open, and a man walked straight up to the bar. ''Oh, it's you again.'' The man angrily pointed at the bartender. ''You listen to me, Cooke. You better stay the hell away from my wife-'' The woman, obviously having had too many, slurred her words as she spoke. ''Goddammit, Paul! Leave me and Henry a-alone!'' ''Darcy... Just come home, please...'' As Paul pleaded with his wife, I glanced over at Piper. ''They seem to have a great marriage.'' She chuckled. ''Ha, those two? Like a radstorm and twister colliding. But Paul's a good guy, Darcy's just a drunk.'' ''And a slut, evidently.'' She struggled to hold in a laugh, but things turned serious fast.

Paul picked up Darcy's unfinished glass, and threw the contents at Cooke. The older man scoffed in surprise, and snarled. ''Oh, you did it now...'' Cooke walked around the bar, right into Paul's fist. The older man stepped back, but didn't look affected. ''Paul, stop it! Leave him alone!'' Henry advanced on Paul, hitting him three times, and dropping him to the ground. Cooke spat on the ground. ''Now, get the hell out of my bar.'' The defeated man brought himself to his feet, as Cooke returned to his post. ''That's right, leave, like you always do, you pussy!'' Paul glanced over at Darcy, and back at Cooke. ''You left me no other choice!'' Paul pulled a small twenty-two out of his waistband at pointed it at Cooke. The once rowdy patrons, all quieted down as they stared at the standoff. I looked over at Piper, worry in her eyes. I straightened out my clothes, and stood up, drawing my own 10mm, and pointed it at Paul. I immediately heard the whispers among the crowd. ''Holy shit, it's the vault dweller!'' ''Ain't that that guy from the newspaper?'' ''He was the guy who built up Sanctuary, ain't he?'' Paul looked from me to Cooke, sweating. ''Paul, this doesn't have to end this way.'' ''Yes it does! Its-it's the only way I can make it right...'' ''No, it's not! You shoot him, and then I shoot you, and you both die. What does that solve?'' His hands were twitchy, so bad in fact, the gun could've went off by accident because of it. ''I just... I just wanna go home... With my wife.'' I walked over to Paul, slowly. I reached out with my free hand, and grabbed the gun from his hands. As soon as Paul lost his weapon, Cooke drew his own shotgun. ''Out. Now. Darcy, you too.'' ''What?!''

''Hey, thanks for backing me up back there.'' ''No problem.'' I holstered my weapon, trying to look relaxed, but on the inside I was sweating bullets. ''Drinks on the house.'' I sat down, unsteadily, ignoring the nods, and stares of the customers. Piper whistled as I lowered myself. ''Damn, I'm impressed, Blue!'' ''Ah, it was nothing.'' ''Well, it was something to me... I'm sure everyone else here would've just shot Paul. Maybe even Henry too.'' ''Why would I want a corpse on my conscience?'' ''That's pretty noble of you. Now, what did you want to ask me?'' ''...Nothing. Anyway, let's enjoy this drink.'' ''Gladly.''

We had been traveling for a couple hours now. We talked to Nick, gave us some more useful info, and now we were on our way to Kellogg's hideout. I saw the diner, the one where I convinced the druggie to pay what he owed to the dealers. Or at least, his mother paid. It was getting dark, but mostly cause of the radstorm building up. ''Ah, shit, Blue. Radstorm.'' ''That's fine. Let's hold up in the diner.'' Walking through the door, I quickly realized the two were gone. Empty. ''Spacey.'' Piper sat down on one of the benches. I walked up to the window and looked out. ''Looks bad. Maybe we should camp out here for the day.'' ''Sounds like a plan.'' I sat down on the bench across from her. ''So... Your wife, if you don't mind me asking. What was she like?'' I smiled on the inside, as I remembered all the good times we shared. ''She was an angel. Brown hair, Hazel eyes... Sarcastic, ha, she-'' Wait a minute... She tilted her head. ''She what, Blue?'' ''Um... Yeah, um... So, she was a journalist in the war, how we met, actually.'' ''Ha! Crazy coincidence, huh?'' ''Yeah, hehe... So, what about you? Sure, you gotta have a boyfriend.'' I was desperate to change the subject, thinking about her made me sad as we went along. Her smile faded, and she looked towards the ground. ''Gee, um... Nope, don't got one.'' ''You're lying.'' ''Nope. I've- I mean I tried, like... You see, most of the guys I've been with... They got sick of me pretty fast. Don't know what they saw in me, honestly. Heh, like I said. Just thought I was a pushy, ugly, bitch. It's why I have, like, zero friends in Diamond city, hahaha.'' She laughed, but I wasn't stupid. The way she frowned, I knew it must gnaw at her side. ''Piper, that's a bunch of bullshit. You're a beautiful, funny girl. Those people have McDonough as their mayor, they haven't made the best choices in life, have they?'' It's only after I said it, did I realize what I said.

She had a shocked expression on her face, and she was blushing hard. ''N-n-not that like, I mean, I uh, no, what I'm saying is that... I mean, of course you're beautiful, like, in a friendly matter, I mean, not to say that's bad, ju- Fuck it. I give up.'' She smiled broadly. ''At least you're honest... I mean...'' Her voice was barely above a whisper. ''You're very handsome too...'' ''Oh, you trying to say something?'' She looked up, now her time to defend herself. ''Hey! You started it!'' ''You didn't have to finish it.'' ''Yeah, you're a looker. I admit it. Fine, you happy?'' ''Very.'' She took out what looked like a flask, and took a sip of it's contents. ''Hey, where did you get that?'' She tilted her head, teasing me. ''Oh? You want some?'' ''...Yeah.'' I reached over, trying to grab it, when she pulled it back. ''You want it? Come get it.'' ''Oh, you-...Alright.'' I stood up from my seat, and walked over to her's. I closed the space between us, and reached over to her flask. Finally grabbing it, I took a victory sip, and almost spit it all out. ''Ugh!...Fuck is that?'' She laughed at my reaction. ''Oh that? Well, I was taking a victory drink over at the bar in Diamond City, and saw that instead of Vadim, a new bartender was there. I took a drink, and everything was all hazy. I saw the distill, and drowned out the poison with the moonshine. Pretty strong, huh?'' ''What, so you decided to carry it in a fucking flask in case you get poisoned again?'' ''Hahaha! No, silly, it's good if you try it again, I promise.'' I reluctantly took a swig. As I forcefully swallowed, I shrugged my shoulders. ''Eh, not b-bad...'' My world literally started spinning. ''Are-are you drunk already?'' ''I-I-I haven't drank in Thr-three months.''

After an hour, the storm hadn't let up, but our small party hadn't, either. We were both equally drunk, cracking each other up about nothing. ''Ha... So, what was that ear...earlier, you said I was pretty?...'' I swallowed my drink and handed it back, shakily. ''Yep... Fuck-Fucking gorgeous that is...'' ''Oh, really?... You after something?'' ''Maybe.'' ''Maybe?'' ''Alright...I am. This.'' Maybe it was the alcohol, but to be honest, I was coherent enough to know what I was doing. I leaned in unsteadily, but she met me halfway. We locked lips and kissed with a drunken passion. Our tongues snaked out of our mouths and explored each other's. I wrapped my hand around her back as we kissed, and I think that made her snap out of it. She pulled back and looked at me wide-eyed. ''B-Blue!'' I leaned back, trying to think of what to say. I mean, there wasn't anything TO say. ''I-I...'' I stood up from my seat, and stumbled to the window on the other side of the diner. It was pretty dark, but the radstorm had let up a bit. Still, it was probably better we stayed here overnight. ''Um... Well, it's... Kinda nighttime, so... I'll just... We should stay here for the night, I'll go over there...'' I stumbled to the far side of the diner, a couple of tables away from Piper, who was blushing hard at the incident. It was gonna be a awkward night. I leaned into the seat, trying to find a comfortable spot. Fuck me, how could I be so stupid?! Welp, now I can't deny that I have a crush on Piper. Maybe, she'll forget about it in the morning...

''Hey, Blue...'' I slowly opened my eyes, and was greeted to Piper standing over me. ''Hey... Uh, sleep well?'' She smiled lightly. ''Listen, I just wanna... Address it, I guess. I understand. We were both drunk, and just did something stupid... No big deal.'' I sighed, and sat up. ''Listen, Piper. I'm sorry, that was fucking stupid, an-'' ''No, no, I get it, it's just... Yeah...'' ''Let's just... Head out then.'' I looked outside, and it seemed to be about sunrise. ''Gather up your things.'' I picked up my equipment, and waited patiently for Piper to get her's. I felt extremely guilty to put her on the spot like that. ''Alright, let's go... You ready, Blue?'' ''Absolutely.'' ''Great!'' She flashed a winning smile, as we exited the diner. ''Oh, and by the way, Blue... I'm sorry. About your wife and all that.'' ''Yeah... I'll make it right today.'' ''What will you do after that, though?'' I haven't really thought about it until now. ''I-I don't really know... I mean, there isn't anything else to do after that. Just keep walking this fucking wasteland, getting shot at, what's the point?'' She put her hand on my shoulder. ''Blue, you can't think that way-'' ''You don't understand. You lost your father, and I'm sorry for that, but I lost fucking everything. My wife, my parents, siblings, friends, they're all fucking dead, Piper.'' ''Yeah? Well, this paper, and my sister are all I got too, buddy. Without them, I'd have the same as you, but I don't have any vendettas to chase like you.'' She took her hand off my shoulder and looked away. ''I didn't mean it like that... I'm sorry, but to be honest, after this... I think-'' ''That you'll kill yourself? I'm right, ain't I?''

I stumbled up to the door. ''Blue, wait!'' I leaned against the wall as Piper checked me. She lifted up the top of my shirt, and saw my wound. ''Fuck, Blue...'' ''It looks worse than it is.'' ''No, we can go back to Diamond city, get you patched up, we can come back with more people-'' ''Do you really think Kellogg is gonna stay after we just killed all of his security? It's now or never, and a gunshot isn't gonna scare me off.'' She sighed, defeated. ''Well-... Okay then.'' I entered the room, Piper trailing me, and saw him. He hadn't changed a bit since we lost met. ''Well, it's my old pal, the frozen TV dinner.'' ''Yeah? Fuck you.'' ''I suppose you have questions. But my friends here don't have patience for too many, so hurry up.'' Four synths stepped out from behind him, all aiming their guns at us. ''Why? Just why?'' He laughed, as if I just told him a fucking hilarious joke. ''Why?! Pretty simple. The institute want everybody, pre-war, eliminated. If you know what I mean.'' ''Then why didn't you kill me?!'' I could see Piper next to me, slowly reaching for her waistband. ''Honestly? I don't know, but the institute had a plan for you, said you were a backup or some shit- Listen, they paid me a lot of fucking caps, so I really didn't pay attention. If you wanna know why they didn't kill you, go ahead and ask, but unfortunately, you're not gonna be leaving this room.'' ''Wanna bet?'' I had palmed a grenade, before we entered the room, and pulled the pin, lobbing it at the four. ''Get down!'' I tackled Piper into cover, just in time, if she didn't move she would've gotta shot. We sat against the cover. ''Jeez, Blue! Can't give a warning to a girl before you explode?'' I laughed at her tongue-in-cheek joke. I loved how even when we were about to die, she can still make a joke. A loud boom sounded, and the top of our cover blew off. Peeking around the corner, I saw the four dismantled synths, laying on the ground. ''Argh... You motherfucker!'' Kellogg stumbled out of cover, aiming his gun. Piper and I both met him in the middle, in a standoff. ''It's over, Kellogg!'' ''Then why haven't you shot me?'' ''How do you get to the institute?!"Piper questioned. ''Ha! You wish, bitch.'' ''Are you not at all afraid that you're gonna be dead in less than five minutes?!'' He chuckled. ''That's bad for both of us. This is why.'' He fired, and hit me twice, in the stomach. I fired as I fell, missing, but Piper put him down.

The gun slipped from my grasp. I felt very cold, almost as much as when I was frozen in the vault. ''Blue, oh shit!'' Piper dropped her gun and knelt next to me. ''Ha, haha...'' ''What's so funny?!'' She asked, a mixture of anger and confusion on her face. She furiously worked to stop the bleeding as I spoke. ''It-It's ironic. Remember... When I said I was gonna kill, *gulp* myself, after this?... Looks like I don't need to worry about it...'' ''No no no no, you're gonna be alright, I promise!'' I weakly laughed. ''We're in the middle of nowhere... I've got about ten minutes at most.'' She cupped my face in her hands. ''You can't die like this! We need you-'' ''Who?! Who needs me, Piper?'' ''You're a fucking hero out here, don't you know?!'' ''Why are you so worried?...'' She didn't answer, and looked taken aback. ''Listen, more synths are gonna be here soon, I'll only slow you down...'' She shook her head. ''No, no-'' ''You need to leave-'' ''No! No!'' ''Go out the exit and get back to your sister...'' As soon as I ended that sentence, my vision failed. I could hear Piper, trying to wake me up. Even though I was dying, I felt at peace. Like everything was fine. My vision went black.

''Blink if you understand me.'' I didn't even realize my eyes were open, but okay. ''Oh shit, he's awake.'' ''Really?!'' My vision was still hazy, but I could faintly make out Piper running over to me. ''Blue!'' She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. ''Jesus, Piper, he's just been shot, could you be careful?'' ''Oh, sorry!" She stepped back smiling sheepishly. I blinked a couple of times and realized I was in... Nick's office, actually. On the desk. ''Piper?... How?'' ''A girl on a mission, that's how. Almost collapsed once she reached my office. Lucky for you, bullet went straight through, only hit you in the side. I got the doctor, he came over and did some real bloody work on my desk, thank you very much. Piper was having a heart attack, whether you would live or not.'' ''Wha- I-... I did not-'' ''Whatever you say. Here grab my hand.'' Nick extended his hand, and I latched onto it, pulling myself to my feet. Surprisingly, I didn't feel that much pain. ''Take a Med-x or two, you'll be fine.'' I walked out of Nick's office, thanking him, and met Piper outside. She looked at her feet. ''So, Blue, I guess...'' ''That's it...'' ''Yeah... I just... I just wish we could've had more, you know?'' We locked eyes, and we both felt the pain. There wasn't anything else. ''Yep. I-...I do too, Piper.'' She walked up to me and gave me a tight hug, one that I was happy to return. ''What will you do now?'' She whispered into my ear. ''I don't know. I think I'll either head back to Sanctuary, or stay here...'' She tightened her hug just a bit. ''I don't wanna sound pushy... But-...'' ''You want me to stay, don't you?'' I smirked. ''...Yes. But whatever you choose, just stay safe, promise me.'' ''I will. I promise. And what will you do?'' ''I don't know... I thought we could find something more, something on the institute, a way to get in!... But it's in vain. I guess I'll just go back to doing what I always did...'' Her voice cracked at that last word, so I used my finger to wipe the tears off her cheek. ''It's okay... I'm sure you'll find something. You're a journalist for a reason.'' It became evident that neither of us wanted to release the hug. I pushed it to the back of my mind, but now I can't deny that I have real feelings for Piper. And maybe she does too.

I sat on my bed in the dugout inn, often catching myself daydreaming about Piper. I gotta snap out of it. All of a sudden, there was a knock on my door. I smiled, hoping it was Piper, but still rested my hand on my holster. I just killed one of the institute's hitmen, I'm sure they're not happy. Opening the door, I was greeted to the yellow eyes of Nick. I was actually happy to see a friend, as I was pretty depressed right now. ''Hey, hope you're not gonna pull that on me.'' ''Huh? Uh, no, no, no, come in.'' Walking in he leaned against the wall as I returned to my seat on the bed. ''You don't seem happy, 'Blue'" I chuckled. ''Fuck you, Nick. So, got anything for me?'' ''Yeah, actually. Our old friend, Kellogg? Dug around in his brain, and found this.'' He held up some sort of component. ''I have this friend. Doctor Amari, she could hook you up to this Dream den thing, we can look into Kellogg's memory with this, and maybe, just maybe, we could find how to get into the Institute.'' ''Why don't you tell this to Piper?" ''I tried, but Nat said she wasn't feeling good. Apparently, your charming personality was just too hard to let go.'' ''Thanks, I guess. No offense to you, but I'll just meet you there, I feel like being alone for a bit.'' He nodded, understandingly. As he left, I packed up my equipment, my guns, my medical items... I should tell Piper what I find, it'll make her day.

Once I made it out on the wasteland, it was about 10:00 PM, but it was pitch black. Only source of light was my Pip-boy, the moonlight, and my gun. Walking alone only made me even more distracted. I was only a couple hundred feet away from the city, when I could hear footsteps from behind me. Turning around, I raised my gun, but saw no one. They must be hiding in an alleyway or something, that or I'm going crazy. Turning back around, the sounds rumbled again. My pace went from a walk to a jog, as I tried to distance myself from the city. A bullet stabbed through the night, and whizzed past my shoulder. Turning around, I run and gunned down the street. I heard something grunt in pain, probably from my bullet, when I was thrown to the ground. Looking up, a super mutant, maybe seven feet tall stood in my way. ''Hey, buddy, um... Lovely evening?'' He brought down a boot, which I dodged and stood up, aiming my gun to his head. I fired- But the fucking gun _jammed_. The mutant wasn't entertained. He backhanded me, knocking me a few feet away, and the gun flew from my hands. He rushed over, picking me up by my throat, and holding me in the air, choking me out. I struggled against his grasp, trying to pry his fingers from my throat. I grabbed his head, pulling myself forward, and jabbed two fingers into his eye, forcibly pulling it out. He let out a roar of pain, and dropped my holding his face. I weakly crawled over to my pistol, but as soon as I grabbed it, he stomped down onto my hand. It most likely won't cause any permanent damage, but goddamn did it hurt. He brought his foot back, kicking me square in the face. I rolled over onto my back, and he mounted on top of me, putting me into a proper choke hold. I tried to reach my hand up to his injured eye, but he slammed my head back into the pavement. I tried to reach for the gun, just centimeters from my grasp, and he laughed at my desperation. His grip became tighter, and my vision started to fade...

 ***BANG*** My throat was free from the hold, and I crawled out from under his weight. His body lay limp, and I looked down at the smoking gun in my hand. I got up to my feet, and almost fell as I tried to move. I struggled to breathe, and there is no way I could traverse the wasteland in this condition. I limped back where I came, cursing myself for leaving, just to get banged up again. I could barely walk, as the mutant must've hurt my leg in some fashion. I got to the intercom, supporting myself with it. ''D-Danny... Let me in...'' ''You sound like that guy who was with Ms. Wright earlier, that's you right?'' ''Yes!'' ''Alright, I'm opening 'em.'' Whatever the fuck that thing was lifted up, and I stumbled into the entrance, falling onto one knee. Danny rushed to my side. ''Oh shit, mister! You need some help?'' I waved him off. ''No! No, I just... Need to get to the dugout, I'll be fine, Danny.'' ''Are-Are you sure? You don't look that-'' ''No, I swear, Danny, It's not as bad as it-... As it looks, I swear.'' He reluctantly went back to his post. ''Well, alright, mister. Be careful.''

I fell onto the ground, almost bumping into Nat. ''Oh! B-Blue, right? Are you okay?'' My heart rate rose as I heard my nickname. I weakly shook my head. She knelt down next to me, worried. ''D-don't worry! I'll get Piper!'' I don't know what I really wanted then. If I wanted her or not. But I didn't seem to have a choice as Nat ran into the house. I reached into my pocket, pulling out a holo-tape. I smiled, as I remembered it's contents. A recording from my wife. She gave it to me as a birthday present, and whenever I felt down, which was almost all the time, considering my current situation, I'd just sit down, and listen to it. I looked at my hand, or more specifically, my pip-boy. 12:00 AM. Wait, what? I was out there for two fucking hours?! What?! Why the hell was Nat out here, then? All of a sudden, a sharp pain arose in my leg. I gave a sharp yelp, and bit down into my lip, hard. I could taste blood in my mouth, and my vision started to fade again from the pain. My eyes became heavy. ''Holy shit! Blue!'' I could hear her angelic voice, as she rushed over to my side. I weakly smiled, overcoming the pain. ''Good evening, b-beautiful...'' I chuckled, before closing my eyes. It kind of felt as if I was entering a deep sleep, like when you're extremely exhausted, and you don't even realize you've entered a dream. ''Blue?!... Blue, wake up. Blue!'' Her voice sounded so far away, but I could still feel her shaking my shoulders, desperately trying to shake me awake. And just like that, I was back in dreamland. Or heaven, I'm not really sure.


	3. Chapter 3

My eyes slowly opened, and realized I was in a bed. No doubt I was in Piper's house. I was on my back, and turned to my left, noticing Piper sitting on her chair, rubbing her eyes. She looked half asleep, I wondered how long I was out. She looked up, eyes red, and smiled when she realized I was up. ''Hey, Blue...'' ''Hey...'' I said awkwardly. I sat up, reaching over to grab my Pip-boy from Piper's desk. 4:00 AM, the clock read. ''You've been up all this time?'' She was dressed like she had just got out of bed, with her jacket lazily thrown on her. ''Well, yeah, I just... Wanted to make sure you were alright.'' I smirked. ''Worried about me, are ya?'' She shook her head, laughing. ''Can you let it go already? You don't make it easy on me, the doctors aren't making house calls at this time of night.'' ''So, you did it all yourself?'' ''That I did.'' She yawned. ''Piper, just-... Thank you. For all you've done.'' ''It wasn't hard, you just had some bumps and bruises, a couple cuts here and there, you're leg, I'm sure it'll be fine in a couple of days, just a li-'' ''Piper. That's not what I meant. I mean thank you, for ALL you've done. Accompanying me, helping me find Kellogg, helping me-... S-Shoot him- It's just... I never thought after my wife died, that... I'm rambling, just thank you.'' She smiled and looked to her feet. ''Blue, do you maybe wanna... Go have a drink, later? Cooke's place?'' ''On one condition.'' ''What?'' ''We travel together again.'' Her face lit up, like a kid on Christmas morning. She stood up, walked over, and hugged me. ''I don't really know why we stopped in the first place.''

I held the revolver in my hand, one bullet in the chamber. I sat on the bed in the dugout inn, after making Piper promise she would get some sleep, and Piper making ME promise I wouldn't break my leg, or get blown up when I stepped outside, I hobbled to the dugout inn. I don't think I left it up to luck, or chance, or something like that. Maybe, God, or my wife was watching over me. I held up the revolver to my head. I started to sweat as I pulled the trigger. *Click* I threw the gun down, breathing heavily. Today was not the day. 11:00 AM. I should go outside. Do something. Packing up my stuff, I looked at my clothes. Maybe, I should get a change of attire. I looked at the clothes I had scavenged in my backpack. A button downed shirt, black slacks, nice shoes, where the fuck did I find all this? Did I rob the fucking Monte Carlo Restaurant? I needed to look good meeting with Piper, even if we're just going to Cooke's. All black, like what Cash said, ''Black never goes out of style.'' Probably, because it never had a style, but I'm not gonna argue with him. Looking in my backpack one more time, I noticed something else. Pulling it out, it was a beautiful all black suit jacket. Jesus, I still have no idea where I got this, but goddamn, am I gonna look good in this!

Walking around Diamond city, I stood out like a sort thumb. Not in a bad way, but I looked like I definitely did not belong in this rundown place. ''Hey, hotshot, you that guy from the vault?'' I turned to the voice. Diamond city security. ''Huh? Uh, yeah. That's me.'' ''Yeah, and you're getting friendly with that reporter, huh? Piper Wright? The mayor ain't likin' what she's writing about.'' ''And what do you want me to do about it? She has a right to do that.'' ''Maybe, but I'm not getting paid to make sure everyone's liberty is being enforced. You threaten me, my friends, another citizen, or the mayor, you get shot. You shoot someone, you get shot. You steal something, you get shot. You make the mayor mad...'' ''Yeah, I catch your drift.'' ''Glad to hear it. Now, keep walkin'.'' I had half a mind to just pull him aside and kill him, but I didn't wanna get blood on my clothes.

5:57 PM. I had done a lot since then, I got a homeless guy a job at my sanctuary, met Moe Cronin and schooled him in baseball, got threatened by multiple Diamond Security staff, and got a shave from the barber. I should pick up Piper now. I walked over to the Publick Occurrences, and knocked on the door. Nat answered, and let me in. ''Wow, ! I never seen someone in a outfit like yours!'' I smiled at Nat. She was just like her sister, even if a tiny bit naive. ''Thanks, kid. How's being a papergirl?'' She frowned. ''It sucks. Not the job itself, but some of the other kids in school tease me about it.'' I knelt down to her level. ''I know how it feels, but trust me it gets better. In fact... Who's bullying you most?'' She thought about it for a second. ''Well, it's that kid Pete-'' ''Paul's son?'' ''Yeah! That one.'' ''Hmm, well I think he'd shut up real quick if you mention to the class how his mother's a drunk, Henry Cooke pummeled his father into submission, and they're almost broke.'' She smiled mischievously. ''You think saying that will make him stop?'' ''Absolutely, kid.'' She gave me a hug, which surprised me, but I returned it. Easily, considering I was crouched to her height. ''Thanks, Mr. Blue, you're the best!'' She scurried away, getting the papers ready for sale, and I noticed Piper on the stairs. I hope she didn't hear me tell her sister how she should bully Pete. She had her mouth open in shock when she saw me. ''W-wow Blue... You really, um...'' She was in her usual attire, but I didn't mind. She was by far the most beautiful woman I've seen in the wasteland so far. ''I'll take that as a compliment. Ready to go?'' She nodded her head. ''Uh, yeah. Yeah, let's go.'' I extended my hand to her. She seemed confused by what I meant, but then suddenly realized I wanted to hold her hand. As soon as our hands connected, I felt a jolt of electricity run up my body. My heart rate sped up, and it felt just like when I went on my first date with my wife. I gently held her hand as I escorted her through the city, into the Taphouse.

As we entered, I noticed the sound of music coming from the bar. ''Hey, hotshot. On a date?'' I glanced over at Piper to notice a blush creeping up on her cheeks. ''Don't know if I'm that lucky. New radio?'' ''Yep, and one rule. Only Dion and the Belmonts. Right now, it's Lovers who wonder.'' ''Good choice.'' I surveyed the patrons. In the corner of the bar was a group of mercenaries. Behind me was a group of ladies, and a couple of random residents scattered throughout the tables. Picking a open table, I pulled out the chair for Piper, and then took my seat. ''Hey, Blue, that was really cool of you.'' ''What?'' ''What you said to Nat. It's nice to...Be a role model for someone.'' ''Nat's a great kid. Smart, hardheaded, just like her sister.'' She smiled softly and looked away. ''You had a sibling, right?'' ''Brother.'' ''How was he?'' ''Ha, he was eleven years my elder.'' ''Jeez, guess your parents just had a cool down effect?'' I laughed at her edgy joke. ''Yep. We still loved each other though. Best friends. I... Was in school once. Schools back then aren't like schools now, ya see there's a giant complex, like a hundred classrooms, all with different teachers and kids, like three thousand kids, twenty to a teacher.'' She looked very interested as I was talking. ''Really? Sounds like the teachers had a handful.'' ''Yeah, got a shit salary, but anyway.'' We both shared a laugh. I know I looked nonchalant, but in my head I was nervous. One wrong word and she might be disinterested in me. ''Anyway, this one day, I'm in sixth grade, and this eighth grade kid comes up to me. He's about five-five, one fifty, and he starts making fun of me and shit. So, I'm joking right back at him, when out of nowhere, the kid punches me, right in the jaw.'' ''Jeez, that took a turn!'' ''That's exactly what I was thinking, actually. Teachers jump in immediately. I go home, and tell my brother, now my brother is six-three, two twenty, so you can imagine how this kid felt when he showed up to school and saw this fucker waiting for him at the entrance.'' I sighed as I remembered my childhood. Never can get those times back.

''But enough about me. So, you stayed up watching me sleep all night?'' I cracked a smile as she became flustered once again. ''I thought we were done with that, Blue!'' ''Never.'' One of the women from the table on my right went to the bar, probably to order something. As she turned, she walked up to my table. She was drop dead gorgeous, and I became hot under my collar. ''Why, hello there, handsome.'' ''Hello, yourself, beautiful.'' I could see Piper in my peripheral vision, and she looked... Angry? Was she jealous? ''Hmm, aren't you a cutie... Oh, Diamond city is just such a hard place without a strong, handsome man to... Protect me.'' ''It'll be hard both ways...'' She bit her lip seductively. ''Oh, don't you know how to get the women riled up...'' She turned to Piper. ''You have a lucky stroke, sweetie. To pull a man like this...'' Piper blushed, and looked away. The woman got up, and rejoined her friends at the table. ''W-Wow, Blue... You, um... Attract a lot of attention, don't you?'' ''You jealous?'' She immediately looked up, taken aback by what I said. ''Wha-What?! What would I have to be jealous about?'' ''You didn't seem to like her company.'' ''No, it's just cause... I...'' ''Wanted to have me for yourself?'' I could barely hold in a laugh as she became more and more flustered. ''Well, Blue, I mean, come on! Can we change the subject?'' I waved it off. ''Don't worry, she's not even close to the level you are.''She seemed to contemplate my words, and blushed once-a-fucking-gain. I think that's good. ''Gee, thanks, Blue... I wish there were more guys like you, in this city.'' ''Why, one's not good enough?'' ''No, because I don't want have someone get riddled with bullets every time he steps outside, something you have a talent for.'' ''Aw, so you wouldn't want someone with my talent.'' ''No, not really.'' ''Well, then where's the fun?'' ''The fun doesn't start in the battlefield, Blue.'' ''You're right. It starts in the bedroom.'' I couldn't hold back anymore as I let out a laugh as she blushed heavily again. ''You're too easy, Piper.'' ''Not that easy, tiger.''

I wonder why, was the perfect song to play as we sat together. Even as the patrons started to get up and leave the bar, Piper and I laughed, and cried as we told our stories of childhood. ''So, remember when you gave me that fucked up moonshine in the diner?'' ''Ha! Yeah.'' ''Explain that to me again.'' ''Well, I had just got a cartel of caravans boycotted, because they were driving up food prices, and I walk into the dugout inn thinking everything was swell. Now, the bartender there, wasn't Vadim, and that was the first sign I should've left. I order a drink, sit down, and take a sip. Immediately, my vision was hazy, and I became groggy. I stumbled over to the distill, and sacrificed my taste buds to drown out the poison.'' ''You have a very interesting life, Ms. Wright.'' ''Thank you... But that wasn't the only thing that happened in the diner.'' ''Piper-'' ''No, Blue, it's my turn to talk. I don't wanna hear that we were drunk, because honestly, I wasn't.'' ''What?'' I was extremely confused. ''I was never one to get drunk. It's how I knew something was wrong when I took the drink. It's not your fault, because I met you halfway, didn't I? Anyway, I stopped kissing because... I didn't want you to regret that. When the alcohol wore off, I was afraid you'd not want to travel with me. That's why I left.'' ''But, why did you kiss me in the first place?'' She dodged my question. ''Look, the point is, I'm sorry. And I'll never take advantage of you again.'' ''Well, thank you, I think.''

''Listen, Piper. Nick came to me, yesterday. He has a lead on the Institute.'' She lit up, I knew she was eager to start working on it. ''Really?! Where?'' ''Goodneighbor. We go there, Nick pops me into a dream den, and using Kellogg's synth component, we might be able to see how to get into the institute!'' She had mixed reactions to that. ''That's... Great. I'm not happy we're gonna be going to Goodneighbor, but whatever helps us find The Institute, I'm happy to risk it.'' ''You're really passionate about what you do, aren't you?'' She sighed. ''There's a lot more to it than that... People deserve to know the truth, even if they don't wanna hear it. I swear, sometimes with how ungrateful people are, it makes me wanna hang up my hat some days!'' She let her arm fall to the table. I made a move, and grasped her hand with mine. ''Listen, Piper, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. No matter what happens, Piper, I promise, Nick, Nat, and I will always be there to help you.'' She chuckled sadly. I traced the back of her hand with my finger in circles, trying to relax her. I didn't want her to be sad on this night. ''It's easier said than done, Blue. How can you help me when you can't even help yourself?'' ''What do you mean?'' ''Blue, you're suicidal. You want to kill yourself, you throw yourself into battle, not caring about the bullets, I mean, it's pretty obvious!'' I grasped her hand tighter, but still gentle. ''Piper, I throw myself into battle, first of all, for you. I can't stand to see you get hurt, or worse. Whenever we get into a firefight, I don't do it cause I wanna die, I do it so they don't shoot at you! You have a sister to look after. I'm more...Expendable. That brings me to my next point. Piper, I'm not suicidal.'' ''How can you say you'r-'' ''That was before I realized. You gave me a reason to live now.'' She looked puzzled. ''I gave you a reason?'' ''It's you. You're the reason. You helped me stumble through the wasteland, gave me shelter, food, guns, helped me kill Kellogg, help me avenge my wife, the least I can do is help you take down the institute.'' She smiled, and for a second, I thought she might cry. She interlocked our fingers together, as she spoke. ''Blue, that... That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me...'' ''It's true, Piper. Remember that.''

''Young love, I remember my first. You two look so good together.'' ''Oh-Oh, no we're not...'' Piper blushed. ''Oh, and that's why you're holding hands?'' ''She won't admit it, yet. You have a good night, Cooke.'' ''You two, you little rascals.'' We exited. I looked up at the beautiful night sky. ''It's beautiful, huh Blue?'' ''Not as beautiful as someone I know.'' She jokingly punched my arm. ''Aw, you really know just what to say.'' I decided to make another move, and put my arm around her shoulders as we walked. She returned it, by getting closer and leaning into me as we walked. ''Hey... What was Nat doing out at 12:00 AM last night?" She seemed confused by what I said. ''She was?'' ''Yep. How she found me.'' ''Interesting.'' Even as the walk was only, maybe, thirty seconds, it felt like an eternity. Probably because I didn't wanna let Piper go, but also because I noticed more and more security appearing as we walked. ''You see em, right Blue?'' ''Yep. Let's pick up the pace.'' As we walked faster, I could feel them staring at us, and I fingered the grip of my revolver through my Jacket. It was only when I stepped into her house, that I felt safe from the security. That would definitely have to be dealt with.

10:47 PM. ''Here, have a drink.'' She handed me a bottle of, thankfully, purified water. ''Got this from Sheng? The guy who has a crush on your sister?'' ''Ha! Yeah. Nat gave him a black eye when he tried to kiss her. *Sigh* She's a good kid. No matter how many detentions she gets.'' ''Yeah, that's an area we need to improve on.'' We sat together, close on the couch, and I draped my arm over her, and she snuggled in closer. ''Hey, Blue, can I ask you something personal?'' ''Sure, go ahead.'' ''You think... I mean, I never... Had a boyfriend.'' I could tell she was embarrassed admitting that. ''But, do you think, maybe, just maybe, Nat may have... A special someone.'' I chuckled a little. ''Hey! I'm serious!'' ''Ha! Okay... Well, going out at 12:00 AM, you and I travelling together, giving her some alone time, not only that but if she looks up to you as much as I think she does... Maybe.'' ''What do you mean by that? Looks up to you as much as I think she does, what does that mean?'' She looked puzzled. ''Well, maybe she thinks you and I are... More than friends.'' I smirked, as she covered her face to hide the blush forming. ''Dammit, Blue! You really think she thinks that?'' ''Well, you and I spend a lot of time together, and we sit... Very close to each other.'' I gestured at how close we were to each other. ''Yeah, I guess that would make her think so.'' ''Do you wanna move?'' ''Nope.'' ''Me neither.'' ''Is it simple, having a girlfriend?'' I scoffed at that. ''Nope. There's a lot of ups and downs, lefts and rights, sex... Dating, birthdays, anniversaries, marriage, buying a house, living together, children... But I never got that far.'' ''So, it's hell?'' ''Nope. I loved every single fucking second of it. Having someone to wake up next to, someone to cling on to, someone to trust, someone to love... It's amazing. And now... Now I don't have a person like that.'' I think she caught my drift, because we locked eyes. Her beautiful, hazel eyes, staring into my dark green orbs.

''Sounds like fun...'' ''It was. Especially-'' ''The sex?'' ''Very fun.'' We whispered back and forth. I couldn't stop staring at her lips. They looked so soft, and it drove me full of fucking lust. Our faces were inches from each other. ''Wh-What are you guys doing?'' As if something from a cliche movie, we both turned and saw Nat standing in the doorway of her bedroom. She walked closer to us, and Piper rushed to move away from me. ''Nothing! Nothing! We were talking, obviously!'' Nat put her hands on her hips. ''Oh, really? Cause it looked like you guys were about to kiss.'' ''Looked?'' ''Shut up, Blue. No, we weren't, first of all, second of all, what are you doing up?'' ''I was... Just heard you guys.'' ''Whispering?" ''...Yes?'' ''Where were you going?'' ''I wasn't going anywhere, calm down.'' ''No, you're going somewhere, where?'' She threw her hands up in frustration. ''It doesn't matter, I'm just... I'm going to see a couple of friends, all right?'' ''In the middle of the fucking night?" ''Stop being so overprotective of me! You're not my mom!'' ''Hey, everyone calm down-'' ''I have to be, because this is Diamond fucking city, our guards are a bunch of trigger happy criminals, and the real criminals would rob you for a cap! You're one of the only things I have left, so I need to worry about you.'' ''That's why you left me alone because you were 'travelling' with Mr. Blue?'' She put 'Travelling' in quotation marks, so I actually started to blush a little. ''Believe it or not, we really were just travelling.'' '' Don't go there, Nat'' ''Screw this!'' I don't think Piper ever heard Nat act out like this, because she froze up, just as Nat left the house. ''No, wait!'' Piper went to go after her, but I stopped her. ''No,no,no she doesn't want to see you right now, that's why she's mad, I'm gonna go after her. She needs a third party to help her.'' ''But... What if something happens to her?'' I didn't want Nat getting hurt, but Piper would only make her more riled up. ''I'll protect, and I promise I'll talk to her, make her calm down for you. Alright?'' ''Listen, she's a rebellious child. The last thing she wants to see, is someone like her mother.'' ''I'm not-'' ''Technically, you are. Listen, if I'm not back in ten minutes, bring a gun and look for us. You won't need to, but just in case, okay?'' I went to leave, but she grabbed my hand. ''Just-... Be careful... Security's still out there.'' I gave her a quick hug, and pried myself from her. ''I will, I promise.'' In truth, I didn't want Piper to be confronted by the guards, so I had to leave her here, where I know she has weapons.

I sprinted out, and saw Nat heading left, farther into the city. I easily caught up to her, right next to Takehashi's. I wrapped her up, and she immediately started squirming. ''Let me go!'' ''It's me, Blue!'' She started to relax, but still weakly struggled. ''Please... Just let me go.'' I released her, but held onto her shoulder. ''...You calm? Here, let's take a walk.'' ''Why, there's nothing you can say that'll change my mind!'' ''Wanna bet? Listen, Nat, I like you, so I'll keep the details to a minimum. Piper didn't have the life you have. You both grew up in a shitty, small settlement, but her troubles were WAY different than yours. Now, you both didn't know your mother, tragic, but that doesn't really give you something in common.'' We started to walk further into the city, as I didn't wanna stay in one place for too long. ''Ya see, you had a parental figure.'' ''But Piper isn't my mom.'' ''In a way, she is. She cared for you, she gives you food, she taught you, you live in her house for god's sake! Piper only had one figure in her life. Her father. You had two, remember that. When your father died, you still had Piper. Piper? She didn't have anybody. I don't know if she told you this, so don't tell her I told you, but your father was murdered.'' She looked up at me, confused. ''So, when he died, she only had one chance to get the guy who killed him, arrested. She did her investigating, and papered the town with wanted posters, basically putting a bounty on this guy's head! She saved your town, if she didn't do it, the town would've been ransacked by raiders. But anyway, when you talk to your sister like that, it hurts her, because you're the only thing she has. Imagine you had a kid, and you care for it all day, all night, this kid is your life! And one day, he starts acting out, being rebellious, insulting you, and when that happens, you'll realize the pain you caused her. You know what that's called?'' She shook her head. ''It's called betrayal. And people who betray, are backstabbers. Why are you out here right now?'' ''I-I wanted to see-'' ''A boy?'' She hesitated, but nodded her head. ''Now, would you rather have this boy, or your sister? Because you're sister loves you, she'll do ANYTHING for you. But you turned your back on her. Who do you choose" ''...Piper.'' ''Exactly. How do you feel?'' She looked down, and then burst out into tears. I knelt down, to her height and held her head in my shoulder. ''Hey, hey it's okay, it's okay, it's not your fault, you're just a kid!'' ''I-I wanna-I wanna-'' ''Say sorry?'' ''Yes!...'' I patted her back, and craned my neck to look for security. They were staring directly at me, and I sighed. They're not after Piper. They're after me. I knew that this would happen, along with the fact that Nat would break. When you're in the army, they teach you exactly what buttons to push. ''I like ya, kid, and I'll never go against you, but you gotta decide; Family, or friends?'' ''...Family.'' ''Never go against family. They make you, and they can break you. Now, I'd happily bring you back home so you can apologize, but unfortunately, it's not safe right now.'' She leaned back, confused. ''What?'' I motioned my head to the left of us, gesturing to the four guards. ''What's wrong with them?'' ''That's not important. Keep walking, don't stop.''

We walked, and walked, but the security never stopped following. I had an idea of where to go, and we walked all the way out to Travis' trailer. I banged on the door, loudly. Security was fast approaching, when Travis opened the door. ''Huh- Blue?'' I stepped inside, pulling Nat with me. ''Travis, I need your help, buddy. Four guards, trying to kill me.'' He nodded, and retrieved a pistol from under his bed. ''No, none of that, kid. I don't want her to see any of that.'' ''You did something bad?" "Nope.'' ''Typical.'' He definitely changed from his old, shy self. ''Nat, stay over by the bed, Travis come with me. Don't leave this place unless you hear Piper, Travis, or me.'' She nodded, nervously. I turned to Travis, my old friend. ''Ready, kid?" ''No problem.'' He felt like I owed him something, ever since I got him that girl. Love this kid. I stepped outside, Travis right behind me, just as the four guards stepped up. ''Hey, 'Blue'.'' The other guards snickered at my nickname. ''Travis... Never mind, go back inside, keep Nat safe..'' I whispered behind me. He listened to my order and silently walked back into his house. ''So, you gonna kill me, kidnap me, rob me? Try something a little fucking creative, huh?'' They all turned to each other, gun in hand. ''No, we just wanna talk. About your girlfriend.'' ''You think I'm stupid?'' ''Yes.'' The three guards laughed at their friend's comment. ''Listen, bud, if she doesn't stop those articles, there's gonna be trouble.'' ''I've tried, very hard the last few days to stop killing people. But Piper isn't here right now, you are, and so am I. When she's gone, who do I know to act nice for?'' ''Ha, you making threats?'' ''Threats are just words and promises that are never carried out. So, no, this isn't a threat.'' I stopped talking, and rushed the nearest guard. Grabbing his gun, I turned both of our bodies, so the gun pointed at his friend.

Somehow, I managed to pull the trigger, and the guard collapsed. I pushed this one into the two other guards, spoiling their aim. I jumped into the fray, pulling out the revolver I had and slamming it so hard into a guard's mouth, it busted his front teeth. I pushed the gun deeper into his mouth as I fired, muffling the gunshot. He dropped and I focused my attention to the two others. I pistol whipped the guy I threw, right into his mask, leaving a dent, and leaving him groaning in pain on the ground. The only other guard still standing, held a baseball bat. Too easy. I holstered my pistol and squared up to him. He laughed at me. ''Yeah, come on, what're you gonna do?!'' He swung his bat, and I easily grabbed it out of the air, pulling it forward, and delivering a swift kick to his... Yep. He released the grip to the bat, and I swung it downwards to the back of his head. I didn't really care if he was dead or not, but I turned my attention back to the groaning security guard. ''Hey, asshole. Mayor send you?'' He only groaned in response. I kicked him, right in the ribs and he rolled over to his side. ''I can ask again if you want.'' He raised a hand. ''Stop!... Yeah. He sent me.'' ''Kill me?" ''If you didn't listen... He said to just shoot you and be done with it...'' ''I see.'' Well, I'm definitely gonna have to do something about McDonough, sooner or later. ''Well, here's what's gonna happen. I can easily claim self-defense to this, as there is no proof I committed a crime, meaning you four attacked me for no reason. Guess who's goin' away for that? You and... Maybe these other two, if that guy over there survived the shot, and this guy didn't die by blunt force trauma. This other guy? He's fucked, got shot in the mouth, it's over for him. Find your way back home, and if I ever see you around Piper, or her sister, or me, or Travis, or even near Publick occurrences, I will fucking slit your throat.'' I lifted up his mask, and made a mental note of his face. ''I know your face. I don't usually forget them.'' I threw the helmet back on his face and stormed into Travis house. He was sitting on a chair, leaning back, with Nat sitting on the bed. At my arrival, Both of them stood up, Travis with a gun in hand. ''Hey, man, you alright? I heard a gunshot, thought I should go out there.'' I put my hand on his shoulder. ''Glad you didn't. Listen, there's a...'' I lowered my voice to a whisper. ''A couple of guys, some of whom are a little dead, they'll be gone by morning, but thought I should tell you.'' He slowly nodded, and cracked a grin. ''Well, alright then... You and that little girl be safe. Especially that girlfrien-'' ''Yeah, fuck you Travis. Goodnight.'' I could hear him start giggling as we left. I made sure to shield Nat's eyes as we walked away.

''Now, before we head in there, remember what I said about Pete, tell him what I said, okay?'' She smiled, and nodded. ''I'll remember, Mr. Blue.'' I squeezed her shoulder. ''Atta' girl. Come on.'' I walked inside the house, and noticed Piper pacing back and forth. Once she saw us, she ran over and clasped Nat into a hug, which was returned lovingly. ''Nat! I was so worried-'' ''Piper, I'm sorry! Like, really really sorry! For what I said and leaving and that!'' Piper looked at me from behind Nat's shoulder. I winked at her, and she closed her eyes, smiling. ''It's okay, I accept your apology.'' ''I swear, I won't do anything like that again!'' ''It's fine, calm down...Why don't you go lay down, it's late.'' Nat nodded her head obediently, and walked to her room. Piper glanced at me. ''Mr. Golden Tongue at it again?'' ''It's starting to rub off on me.'' She walked over to me, just standing in front of me. I pulled her into a hug, and let my head gently crash into her's. I looked deep into her eyes, and I remembered just how bad I actually wanted her. ''Piper...'' ''Blue...'' She smiled, as I continued. ''I... *Sigh* I'm gonna head back then. We gotta be up early for our trip to GoodNeighbor...'' I knew we both wanted something more to happen, but we both silently agreed it was better that I left before we did something stupid. ''I... I'll see you in the morning, Blue...'' I closed my eyes, my forehead resting on her's. We reluctantly released, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. I just... Can't do it. At least not here. I'm gonna do it in Goodneighbor, that's a fucking promise to myself, I will do something! I opened the door and stood in the doorway. Fuck it, I'll do a little something now. She was still close to me, so I wrapped her close to me, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She tensed up from the contact, and I laughed at her expression. ''See you in the morning, Red.''


	4. Chapter 4

WAY too much contact on my part. I mean, she didn't stop me, but I still shouldn't have been all over her like that. I got up and walked over to my discarded Pip-boy. 11:47 AM. Time to get up. I couldn't stop thinking, and it kept me up most of the night. About two things, really. Piper, and my wife. I feel like I'm just spitting on wife's grave, every time I'm with Piper. But still, I can't just let go of Piper. Her smile, her eyes, her laugh, her personality, her body... So complicated. I picked up and put on a black jacket, along with some pants. I should probably invest in some armor. Gathering up my things, I stepped out, bidding farewell to Vadim and Travis. As I walked through the streets of Diamond City, I could still feel their eyes on my back. I tried to ignore it as best as i can, as the guards will surely shoot me if I act hostile to them. I looked up at the mayor's office. I'm gonna have to do something soon. Before they hurt me, or Piper.

''Hi, Mr. Blue!" Nat greeted me with a friendly hug. I ruffled her hair. ''Hey, kid, shouldn't you be in school?" "Oh! I told Pete what you said, after he started making fun of you and Piper, and he got so embarrassed when the other kids started laughing, he almost cried! But the teacher gave me a detention.'' ''Wait, say that again? About Piper and I?" "...Well, about how you two love each other-'' ''No, no, no, no, you got it all wrong... Y-You see, Piper and I? Just friends.'' Nat stared at me, analyzing my features. ''...You're lying." "I wish. You have an eye for that." "Blue!" Piper came down the stairs, as Nat and I headed inside. She walked up and gave me a quick hug. ''Huh, no bruises, cuts, or gunshot wounds, good job, Blue." I could see Piper giving me an 'Oh really?' Look on her face. I ignored it, turning back to Piper. "Just for you, Pipes. Ready to head out?" "Yep, just let me get my bag.'' She walked away to get her belongings and I turned to Nat who had a sarcastic smile on her face. "Just friends, huh?" "Not a word to anyone."

''What ya thinking about, Blue?'' I glanced over at Piper. ''Nothing.'' ''You always say that, but I know you. You're a schemer.'' I chuckled. ''That I am.'' ''So, what are you planning?" Oh, I'm just planning about how I'm gonna confess my love to you, nothing special... Yeah, probably shouldn't say that. ''I'll tell you later.'' I lined up a shot with my rifle, taking down a bloatfly. She pouted. ''Aw, come on, Blue! Tell me.'' I smiled at how fucking adorable she was. ''Piper... You've been... A great friend to me.'' It felt hard saying friend. ''Thank you, you're not too bad yourself.'' ''I wanna give you something.'' She tilted her head. ''Oh really?'' ''Yes. I'll give it to you tonight. I promise.'' She let out a whine, and jokingly slapped my arm. ''How can you tease a girl like that?'' I laughed and played with the band on my finger. If I don't fuck this up... I took out the wedding ring from my pocket and looked at it, the one I collected from Nora... I sighed and we continued going. ''What was that, Blue?'' ''A little relic.''

We had gotten past the doors of the Goodneighbor, and now stood in the city. A dirty looking, bald guy walked up to us. ''Hey! First time in Goodneighbor? Can't go walking around without insu-'' ''Rance, yeah I heard your spiel a thousand other times in places where some con artists are looking to make a quick buck from gullible tourists just trying to enjoy their stay.'' ''Whoa, a street smart one, I see. Alright, I'll be forward then. Hand over everything in your pockets or accidents start happening. Big, bloody accidents, starting with that little girl of yours over there.'' I looked back to Piper, who was uncomfortably biting her lip. I turned back to him. ''I'll give you one warning. Back the fuck off in the next three seconds, or I'll slice your fucking throat.'' Just the threat alone was enough to make a rage build up inside me. ''Fuck you just say? I'll call you out and have half the city on your ass-'' I rocked him in the face. It was a great sucker punch, as he tripped over himself and fell to the ground. I jumped on top of him, throwing a diving punch as I landed, that hit him across the face. I was about to continue, but Piper wrapped her arms around me and pulled me back. ''Blue, don't!'' ''Whoa! What's going on here, timeout!'' A ghoul in a colonial outfit walked over to us. He looked down at the fallen man, and sighed. ''Goddammit Finn, I told you to lay off that extortion crap.'' Finn wiped the blood from his nose, and stormed up. ''What do you care?! He ain't one of us.'' ''No love for your mayor, Finn? I said let em go.'' ''Nah, let him try again, we were having a friendly conversation, that's all!'' ''You're soft, Hancock. You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there's gonna be a new mayor.'' ''Come on, man. This is me we're talking about.'' He started to walk closer to Finn. I could tell where this was heading, so I pulled Piper away. ''What are you doing, Blu-'' Hancock pulled out a knife and stabbed Finn in the chest, twice. Finn went limp and dropped to the ground, dead. Piper yelped in surprise, and I rested my hand on the grip of the gun.

After having just a lovely chat with the mayor, I guided Piper through the streets of Goodneighbor. Growing up in a tough neighborhood, you had to rely on street smarts to get you home. I recognized some of the old tricks people would try, that would usually end up with you losing either your wallet, or a tooth. A small kid, in ragged clothing, walked up to us holding what looked like a brown garbage bag. ''Hey, mister, look I got some radstag meat in this bag, listen, just twenty five caps, and it is yours, sir! Twenty five! that's half the price of one you buy-'' I shushed the kid and reached into my pocket. I kept around five hundred caps in my pocket, two hundred and fifty caps in each, the rest being in my bag, and handed him a full pockets worth. The kid looked up to me, eyes wide, mouth agape. I ruffled his hair, and spoke. ''Keep whatever's in there, kid. But I want you to start finding money in a legal way. No more of this con shit, okay?" The kid only nodded and then rushed off, probably to go buy something. Piper looked at me, bewildered. ''I-... Why?'' ''There wasn't meat in the bag, just something heavy to make it look it.'' ''Okay, but then why would you give him caps if he tried to scam you?'' ''Because, Piper, I've been on both sides. I've done that trick so many times, I lost count. But that kid was just trying to eat. People obviously don't make a lot of money here, he'll need all the help he can get.'' Piper looked at me in shock. ''That's... You really are one of a kind, you know that? I'm sure anyone else would've told that kid to scram, or even hurt the kid!'' ''Piper, I'm not special, I'm just not a cold son of a bitch... You would've done the same thing, right?'' She scoffed. ''I probably would've paid for the meat like the idiot I am... Did you really do that when you were younger?'' ''Needed to make money somehow. Believe it or not, your times are a lot more simple than ours.'' ''It was tough growing up?'' ''Very. I got into a lot of fights. After awhile, it just becomes a thing you do. But I pushed through it, made something of myself. I did a lot of things that I'm not proud of to get there, though.'' ''As kids, Blue?'' ''The first person I killed... I killed him when I was thirteen.'' ''Thirteen, Blue?!'' ''Thirteen. I lived in the fucking ghetto, hanging out with a couple of friends before school. A group of kids come up to my friend, start shit about... Irrelevant kid bullshit, and then one of my friends punches one of the other kids, and... That's that. All hell breaks loose, punches thrown everywhere, shit being thrown, it was chaos. I was fighting this one kid, when I see this kid pull out a gun. He shoots-...''

My voice cracked, and I put my hand up to my face. I always tried to put up a tough guy mask for Piper, but remembering... That day, it's just... Piper put her hand on my shoulder, and I swallowed, trying to finish the story. ''Or at least tries to shoot one of my friends, but someone bumps into him, he drops it, and I picked it up. My hands are shaking, I'm sweating bullets, and the kid's looking even worse than me. The noise was drowned out, I couldn't tear my fucking eyes from this kid. I just... Shot him. Twice, in the chest. I tucked the gun in my pants, and we all scurried off. I don't know if anybody actually saw me shoot him... I tell my brother everything, we both drive over to the Charles fucking river of all places, and throw the gun. It was all over the TV, the newspapers, 'Gun Violence in poverty stricken areas rising!' 'Child shot dead, murderer still at large!'... I don't think the cops really cared about some poor kids like us, because the investigation was cold within a few months.'' Piper rubbed my shoulder, and I pulled her in for a hug. I don't know what it was, but remembering that kid... I buried my face in Piper's shoulder, just like she would, and cried. I was extremely embarrassed, my manly illusion was broken now. She moved her fingers through my hair as she comforted me. ''Tables have turned, huh Blue?" ''Y-Yep...''

''Well, if it isn't my favorite couple. How have you two been doing?'' I shook Nick's hand, and turned to Piper. ''Well, ya know... We're still alive, so that's something.'' ''Believe it or not, Blue didn't get shot once here!'' Nick smirked. ''That's a new one.'' He dropped his cigarette, stepping on it, and gestured for the door. ''Come on, let's head inside.'' We were greeted by a woman, laying seductively across a couch in the middle of the room. ''Mmm, Nick Valentine... I thought you walked out on me.'' ''Out on the den, Irma. Not you.'' ''Hmph, Amari's downstairs, you little flirt... Oh, and you have company.'' I extended my hand to Irma, and kissed the top of it once I made contact. ''Oh, he has manners, and he's cute... Nick, I like this one.'' ''Don't waste your time, he's already got someone.'' ''I assume it must be this little darling!'' She said as Piper stepped up to greet her. We both blushed at her contact and looked away from each other. ''No, we're just friends.'' Nick and Irma glanced at each other, and laughed. ''You could of fooled me, kid. The way you two are always on each other, I mean Jesus.'' ''Believe me, I've seen plenty of couples just like you two, and it always works out the same, especially for young kids like you two.'' I opened my mouth to defend myself, deny it, or make some witty remark, but my mind drew a blank. I looked over at Piper, and we locked eyes. For about three seconds, we made straight eye contact, but I forced myself to look away. I looked towards Nick, who had a amusing look on his face. ''Amari.'' ''Oh, yeah. Follow me.'' Piper and I walked behind Nick, and trying not to look at her was proving difficult. The ring was burning a hole in my pocket, and I felt a wave of guilt surround me, as if saying, ''You're lucky your wife isn't alive or else she'd tear your throat out.''

We entered Amari's office, and a middle aged woman greeted us. ''I'll make this quick, just to speed up the plot. We need a memory dig, but my friend here killed our participant.'' ''Jesus, Nick, talk about being straight-forward.'' ''Are you three mad?! Putting aside the fact that you're asking me to defile a corpse, the memory stimulants require a LIVING brain to function.'' ''Please, Dr. Amari. You're our last hope, we really need the information from this man.'' ''This man had extremely useful knowledge of how the institute, as he was one of their hitmen, we need this for the betterment of the people in the Commonwealth!'' If Piper found any information, I knew she would print it, putting herself in danger. I didn't like that, but she only did that to help the people, which I could absolutely get behind. ''Fine, I'll take a look, but NO guarantees... Do you... Have it with you?"

''How does it feel having something put into you, Nick? Like it hits the spot, something like that?" Piper started giggling, and Nick looked at me annoyed. ''You do know Kellogg could take control of my mind and beat the shit out of you?'' ''I'll throw some water at you, case closed.'' ''Alright, Mr. Valentine, how are you feeling, what do you see?" Nick started fidgeting a tiny bit. ''Flashes... Static... I can't make sense of it, Doc.'' ''I see...There maybe a lock on the memory, as one last fail safe.'' ''...Okay, I guess, how would you break it?'' ''Well, it might be too complex for one brain, but if we used two...'' ''I volunteer.'' I immediately raised my hand. Piper looked at me, stunned. ''Wha- How about you see if it's dangerous first?!'' ''I honestly don't know. We've never tried something like this before.'' I shrugged. ''Sounds perfect, do I just sit in there?'' Piper smacked my shoulder. ''Blue, are you fucking nuts?'' ''What do you mean?'' ''Blue, I'm the one who needs the information the most, if something bad happens in there, I don't want you to have to face it! I should go in.'' She started walked to the pod, but I pulled her close to me. ''See what I'm saying? Just like I said-'' ''Shut up, Nick. Piper, if something happens, and you die, what the fuck are we gonna do with the information? Piper, you have WAY more things to look forward too then I do. Let me go in, I promise nothing will happen, just let me do this... For you.'' I strode over to a pod and sat down, the pod closing as I did. Nick sat in his, and Piper came over to my pod. ''Be careful in there.'' ''If I start making unfunny comments, and I act like an asshole, shoot me.'' ''But that's how you are most of the time!'' We shared a laugh, but I know she was still worried about this whole thing. I placed my hand on her's through the glass, trying to calm her down. She smiled, lovingly, and sighed. ''Oh my god, fucking kiss alre-'' ''Nick, I'll kill you, I swear to god, man.'' Amari started spouting some science jargon, and I started to sweat, having second thoughts. All off a sudden, everything went white.

''Easy now, how are you feeling?" I shakily stood up. ''No one's ever done this before.'' ''No one was dumb enough to try. That fucking sucked, you know that?'' ''I would assume so. I'm sorry you had to see that again.'' ''Yeah... A scientist in there, Virgil. The glowing sea?" ''I don't know how, but if he managed to hide there... You would need a suit, sealed from the environment of the sea.'' ''What's wrong with it?'' ''It's a sea of radiation.'' ''Oh, well, yeah that would hinder someone. Unless, he had some sort of protection-'' ''That's it! He's using it as a shield, or a cloak from the institute! Power armor would definitely protect someone in there. Maybe that's what Virgil used.'' ''If I get to him... Doc, you've been an incredible help, you have no idea how much Piper will like this!'' ''It's no problem, pleasure working with you, Mr... Oh, I'm sorry I never caught your name.'' My name? My name... Holy shit, what is my name?! ''I... I don't... Remember...'' She had a face of confusion. ''I'm sorry?" ''My name, I... I don't remember it.'' ''Oh no, it might've been a side effect from the pod-'' ''No, thinking about it now... Listen, Doc, I was frozen, for two hundred years in a vault, and as fucking crazy as it sounds, I was alive since before the war.'' ''You mean... But you don't look like a ghoul-'' ''In cryo pods, they froze us.'' She pondered for a moment. ''That would explain both your suit, and Kellogg's memory... It might be, instead, a side effect from the freezing. Two hundred years... I must say, that's a terrible predicament.''

''No, Nick, you've been out for twenty minutes, why is he still in there?! You saw how he was acting, he almost broke the fucking glass, what if the goddamn thing fried his mind, or even worse, he comes out as fucking Kellogg?!'' ''I think you're over exaggerating-'' ''Fuck that, Nick, you don't understand! He can't die now, at least not before I tell him how I feel! I'm serious, Nick, why aren-'' '' ''Darling, calm down! He's a big boy, he can handle himself.'' Piper clenched her fists, biting her lip so bad it bled. I was both touched, and amused by how she was acting without me. ''Piper, you're only riling yourself up, he's not in any danger, I promise.'' ''Nick, this hasn't ever been done before, how the hell do you want me to react?! You want me to sit down, arms crossed, chewing bubblegum, or some shit like that? He's been shot at, beaten up, blown up, choked, set on fire, yes, but this isn't like that, and you know it!" She pointed angrily at Nick, who still had a calm expression on his face. I decided it was time to announce my presence. ''Piper, please, you think some mental torture could stop me?'' Piper turned around, seeing me coming up the stairs. She rushed at me, jumping into my arms, almost knocking me back down the stairs. ''Blue!... I was so worried-'' ''Worried is an understatement, I had to drag her from the room because she kept begging Amari to pull you out...'' Piper lightly blushed, and I smiled wide. ''Also, remember what I said about being all over each other?'' ''Remember what I said about how I'll kill you when I got out?" ''Fair point. What did you find in there.'' ''*Sigh* I'll tell you after some rest, Nick, tell me there's a bar in this place.'' ''Yes, there's one. The third rail.'' Irma gave me directions, and I led Piper to go get a drink. ''Nick, thank you.'' ''No problem. Oh, and one more thing.'' He leaned in close and whispered into my ear. I could only slowly nod, as even though I suspected, I wasn't any less shocked by it. ''What are you gonna do, Blue?'' Nick asked. I shrugged. ''I don't know. Probably... Depends.''

As we walked to the Third Rail, I noticed a man standing behind a table, with three playing cards on it. ''Oh! Piper check this out!'' I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me as I realized the game this guy was playing. Three card Monte. I noticed the man subtly nod to a 'passer-by' and the passerby walked up to him. As I stood behind them, Piper tapped on my shoulder. ''What's this, Blue?" ''One of my favorite games ever. Just watch.'' The man behind the table began his spiel. ''Hello, good sir! Feel like testing your luck on a game of three card Monte?" The man nodded, giving the con twenty caps. ''So, what's he gotta do?" As if on cue, the con spoke up. ''Just find the lady in red, avoid the two men in black, and congratulations, you doubled your money!" He threw down the red queen, and I easily followed it, as he rearranged the cards in a brisk pace. When he stopped, the man pointed at, obviously, the queen. ''Congratulations, sir! You're twenty caps richer!" The man smiled, nodded, and collected his 'winnings'. He continued his walk down the street, out of sight. ''He was the shill.'' I whispered to Piper. ''He wasn't a real player. He was just there to win, and draw you in.'' ''Ah, hello there. Young lady, would you like a go?" Piper smiled. "Sure!" She handed the man twenty caps, and the usual game played out, Piper easily finding the queen. Now, he's reeling her in. ''I'm gonna go bankrupt with how good you people are! How bout this, fifty caps, and if you win, you get a fifty more. If you lose, you give me fifty more.'' Piper obviously felt hot, thinking it was easy money. "You got a deal there.'' She handed the con fifty caps, and the game started.

I couldn't help but chuckle at Piper's confused expression. ''Shocked? So was I, the first time.'' I turned my attention to the con. ''Hey, buddy. Double or nothing, I win, you give me a hundred caps. I lose, you'll get a hundred caps.'' Piper raised an eyebrow. I was pulling at this fishing pole, trying to keep him on the line, and it worked. ''Alright, good sir, you have a deal!" The game started, and I watched as he threw the cards down. As expected, he pulled the trick. He showed me the queen, with the black card on top of it, and he threw it down. But knowing the trick, I knew he actually threw down the **black** card, fast enough to make it seem like he threw the queen. I easily followed the actual card, and when he stopped I locked eyes with him, smiling. ''Shouldn't it be that one?" Piper pointed at one of the playing cards, and I smiled at her naivety. ''No, Piper, it's actually...'' I pulled over the queen myself. ''Right here.'' Shock registered on both of their faces. ''Didn't expect that, buddy? You know the deal. Show me the money.''

''Alright, how the hell did you do that?" "Old trick, he threw the king on the table, not the queen. *Sigh* And he reeled you in like a fish, didn't he?" She gasped. "Hey! I won the first time-'' ''Did you win the second time?" "...Well, you didn't play a second time, so you didn't either." "Hahaha... Hey, I still won back your caps, though.'' We sat in the dark bar, at 9:23 PM, sipping on cheap beer. I watched Piper's features, glowing in the light. She really is beautiful... Her pert little nose, her soft eyes, her smooth cheeks... I sound really fucking weird, think of something else. "So, what happened in there, Blue?" I sighed. "A lot. I saw my wife... I saw Kellogg, shoot her again..." I clenched my fist, hard. My nails dug into my skin, causing a sharp pain. Piper grasped my other hand, causing me to relax a little. Her soft, smooth hands holding mine... ''Blue, I guess we should've seen it coming... Sorry, I really am..." I shook my head. "Like I said, she's at peace now. Anyway, I have good news, bad news, and even worse news. Which would you like to hear first?" She raised her eyebrow and thought about it. "Um... I guess I'll take the bad news first.'' ''I can't remember my name.'' Silence filled the air, only being disrupted my a patron who had too much, or Magnolia singing with her beautiful voice. "...Wha-... Oh my god...Why?" "I-I don't know... I think because I was frozen.'' She smacked the table lightly. ''That's it right there...Weird, honestly, can remember everything else, just not your name?" "Not even my last name." She frowned. "This is just awful, I can't believe what this is like for you... So, what's the good news, then?" "Oh, I found out how to get to the institute!" She immediately lit up with the knowledge, and I kinda felt bad for what I had to tell her. ''That's great, Blue! Oh man, what's the very bad news? Nothing could ruin this!" I cringed. "Well, the way you get in, is by teleportation.''


	5. Chapter 5

''That doesn't make any sense!" "You know what doesn't make sense? Giant fucking scorpions." "How will we get a teleporter?'' ''Not to sound any less hopeful, but... I don't think we will?" "No, we will find that fucking teleporter, I'm not giving up that easily.'' ''Piper, you're talking about using telepor-fucking-tation, I understand not wanting to give up, but how the hell do you plan on getting one.'' She thought about it for a moment, putting her head in her hands. ''...We need to build one." "Build one? You wanna build a stairway to heaven while you're at it?" "I'm serious, Blue! That is the only option, got a better idea?" Are you always a prick to your girl? My head snapped up, looking around the bar. Kellogg, no doubt that was his voice. Yeah, no shit. Congratulations, you solved the mystery. Where the fuck is that coming from? I'm in your head, you retard! ''Blue, are you okay?" Heh, looking through all your recent thoughts and memories, no. Get outta my fucking head! I wish I could, but I can't. Sorry. ''Yeah, just...'' ''Look, Blue, it sounds stupid, but this is our only option. And I can't do it alone. I need you with me. Please.'' ''...I'll talk to some people, see what they can do. But, if they can't do anything...'' ''If they can't do anything, then we need to spread the word about the synths, we need to study them, we need-...'' Man, why are you acting like a child? We built a teleporter, didn't we? Yeah, can you explain in step by step details every single thing you did to make it? Fuck off, hahaha. I see your charming personality stayed. By the way, if I could stab you in your intestines, watching the life drain from your eyes, I would do it as many times as I was allowed. Kinda fucked up. How long have you been in my head? Since you came out of the pod. Well, this is just fucking perfect, the guy who killed my wife is now my telepathic audience. Hey, if we're gonna be stuck in the same mind for the foreseeable future, we shouldn't be assholes to each other! Coming from you, that's incredibly ironic. I traced the back of her hand, comfortingly. ''Hey, we'll figure it out, okay. I promise, I'll do everything I can.''

''It's not just for me, it's for everybody, Blue...'' ''I know, but-'' ''But nothing. I'd rather die tomorrow, fixing a problem in the world, than live longer, standing around doing nothing to help.'' There's nothing you could really say to argue that. ''...I'll be right back, going to go get something.'' I stood up, giving Piper's hand a quick squeeze. ''Don't take too long.'' I walked over to the bartender, who was fixing a drink for a patron. ''Listen, I need something to loosen someone up, real stress reliever, know what I mean?" Whitechapel hesitated before answering. "As in... Something to give you help filling your bed?" "What? No, I mean a legal, drink. Not...That.'' I'm sure you'd need it trying to get in her pants. Right back at you, bud. Though, I'm sure those bandits took off those pants before they lined up their sights- You motherfucker, you better hope I don't find a way to take control of you, I'll kill everyone you fucking love and then you- So, yourself? ''I got the perfect drink for that.'' He handed me a drink in record time, in a fancy glass, and I took it back to the table. I planted the drink in front of her, causing her to lean back in surprise. ''Here. Have that.'' ''What is it?" "I don't know."

''Yeah, the children of atom are fucking nuts." "Hahaha!" "Well, hello there, beautiful..." A handsome, rugged man walked up to the table, his back to me, talking to Piper. ''What are you doing in a hellhole like this? Why, shouldn't you be in heaven? That's where all angels are.'' Piper laughed at that one-liner, and I rolled my eyes at that overused bullshit. Jeez, your girl never been in a bar before? Any virgin trying to warm their bed up at night uses that line in like, every fucking sentence. Tell me about it. Well, you can't just sit there, be a man, stand up! Shut up, Kellogg. They continued to flirt for a bit, but really it was a one-sided affair. Piper mostly just laughed, and nodded. ''Hey, how bout this, you wanna come back to my table, I'll buy you a drink?" "Oh, well, I'm kinda with someone, though...'' He turned to me. ''He ya boyfriend?" "Well, no-'' ''So, then why you with him?" She looked taken aback by his suddenness, along with me. Christ, even I have better respect than this asshole. You really don't, but I think you're right. I really wanna hit this fucking guy. ''Well, we're friends-'' ''Blah, blah, blah. Come on, get up and come to my table.'' ''Listen, I really am trying to talk with-'' ''Loverboy? If he cared, why hasn't he said anything yet?'' Oh, you gotta stand up now. I stood up with such speed, I knocked the table back. ''Well, I'm saying something now.'' He turned fully to me, sizing me up. ''Oh? And what are you saying?" ''I'm saying if you back up now, I'll refrain.'' ''From what?" "Hurting you. Very bad.'' He scoffed, pushing me with one hand. I took one step back, but held ground. Yeah, you see, at this point I'd have shot him. ''Piper? I want your blessing.'' She threw up her hands in indifference. ''Fuck it, I'll let this one slide.'' I threw a split second jab, catching him square in the face.

He took a step back, rubbing his face confused, as if wondering if I had punched him or not. Patrons of the bar heard the commotion, and turned an eye. ''Y-You hit me...'' It was more a question than a statement. ''Yeah, no kidding.'' ''You've fucked up now!" "Right now? Not when I punched you, but when I tol-'' He didn't like my smart ass attitude, as he hit me with a haymaker. I stumbled back, hitting a table. Steadying myself, I postured up. He advanced, and I dodged his straight, but he sweeped my leg, almost putting me down. I clumsily got back into a boxer's stance, and slipped a cross, sending a uppercut to his chin as a counter. I was thinking it was all going well, when he punched me, kind of weakly, directly in the ear. It wasn't a punch, more a slap, but that's what made it painful. I doubled over, releasing a scream of pain as my ears rang. I used whatever energy I had to distance myself. The crowd booed at the dirty hit. ''Pay him back! Pay him back!'' I could see Piper, biting her lip, lifter herself from her seat. I winked at her, feebly, and motioned for her to sit down. She did, reluctantly, and I slowly fixed my stance. _Listen, Kid. Don't play clean, go dirty._ Wasn't planning too. He went to throw an overhand left, but I grabbed it in midair, and used my freehand to hit him below the belt. He yelped in pain, collapsing to one knee. I grabbed his hand in my hands, and kneed him full force in the face. I could feel blood paint my vault suit, and the crack of a broken nose. The crowed cheered at the justice, and I acknowledged the nods and... even some wolf whistles from some of the ladies in the crowded bar. _Hey, your girl's right over at the table, show some respect!_ Actually agreeing with Kellogg, I sheepishly walked over to Piper.

''God, you were drowning in women there.'' ''Yeah, that I was.'' ''You're not going with any of them, right?" "Ha! What?" Piper blushed as she continued. ''Ya know... Like meet them back at their house." "Hahahaha! Piper, Piper, Piper... Are you a bit jealous?" "What?!" She looked flabbergasted. "N-No!" "I can tell you are. A person not jealous would've asked, 'Are you going with any of them?' Not what you said.'' She blinked. ''Not only that, but why are you acting all defensive, like if you weren't jealous, you'd just laugh it off and keep walking.'' _Oh, I like this._ ''Alright! M-maybe I was a little jealous..." "Really?! I was just making all that shit up. But fine, that's some nice knowledge.'' She punched me in the shoulder, and I playfully winced. ''Ah! My arm!" "Shut up.'' We both chuckled. ''Getting late, Blue...Oh, look!" She pointed towards a building. Nick had told me about this place. ''Hotel Rexford... It'll save us a walk through the wasteland.'' ''True.'' As we walked through the streets, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful Piper looked. She really shined in the light. Or lack there of. ''Piper?" She turned to me, and I admired her shining hazel eyes through the dark. "Hmm?" "Why were you jealous?" She stopped, looking at me. "Wha-... What?" "Why are you jealous?" "...I-I don't know, I mean-'' ''You're usually jealous when you covet a person's possession, maybe wife or husband, job, house, something like that. But in the case, that I think you're in right now, you don't covet a person's situation, but the person themselves.'' She looked at me, brow furrowed in confusion. ''What?" "A crush. You want me for yourself, so you're jealous I was getting attention." I'm silently glad I took that haymaker if that meant I could use that to profess my love. She looked taken aback. ''Why are you talking about this, I don't really-'' ''Freedom of speech, Piper. Anyway, you think I don't realize? You think I'm fucking stupid?'' Venom dripped from my statement. I moved towards her, and she slowly backed up. ''W-What? I...I don't-'' ''Yes, you do. All this time we're traveling together, I kiss you, and you turn me down, fully sober. Why? You're crush just kissed you, and you turn him down? I don't think that's how it works.'' Now it was her time to look angry. She kept backing up, but still had an angry expression. ''You were fucking drunk, sorry for not making you do something you'd regret-'' ''Goddammit, Piper! I wasn't drunk.'' She looked confused. ''What?" "I wasn't drunk. Well, maybe I was, but I still knew what I was doing, I had full control of my actions.'' ''Then, why-'' ''Because, Piper!" She was backed up to the wall fully now. I closed in, only a couple inches between our bodies. ''I don't know, Blue!" "Because, I have a crush on you too!" Her gaze softened. My tone wasn't accusatory, more sympathetic. ''And it makes me pissed that neither of us acted on that... But now, I am.'' She frowned, looking disappointed. ''Blue...You wouldn't a girl like me. I'm stupid, pushy, I invade people's privacy, I'm not sexy or beautiful, I'm not no Magnolia, I'm just...A shitty reporter. There to fill space." Rage grew inside of me, as I heard her spout bullshit.

I grabbed her by the collar, but more...Passionately, if that makes sense. ''Shut up! Piper, you're the most beautiful person I've met so far, you're an amazing writer, you're a hero, a white collar hero!...Piper, a man once said, that if you tell a lie so many times, one day, it will become the truth.'' Something along those lines. _I wish I had a snack to watch this shit too._ ''But no matter how many times you tell me how awful you are, how shitty of a personality you have, how ugly you are, it will NEVER become the fucking truth, alright?! Never! Because I refuse to believe it, but you, you just give up so fucking easily, you know that? Fucking, you're talking about how we'll get this teleporter, with this attitude, a month'll pass, and you'll go 'Eh, fuck it.' And move on. Stop that!" She was on the verge of tears, her voice broke as she spoke. ''It's-It's not true-" "Yes, it is true! It is one hundred percent true! Piper, I can't get you outta my fucking head, I can't stop thinking about us, I rush in to battle to make sure you don't get hurt, I give you stimpacks, and med-x to make sure you're in top condition, it's all for you, so why is it that you turn me away, just because you don't believe that you're good enough for me, when in reality, I'm not good enough for you!" I took a breath after that. She looked at me, and a tear slipped from her eye. I gently wiped it off her cheek and continued. ''You are amazing, you're fucking perfect, and it annoys me when you say otherwise. When Nora died,'' Fuck you, Kellogg. _Alright, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry._ Just... ''I thought that it was over. I'd kill Kellogg, and then'll kill myself.'' ''No-'' ''Shh! But then I saw you. Outside of diamond city. I thought I would never love another woman. Never. But you proved me wrong. Because I soon as I laid my eyes on you, the boy in blue, the hero of commonwealth, the badass, one man army, fell victim to love at first sight, I fucking love you, Piper, I love everything about you, and it hurts me personally to hear you tell lies about yourself, because you're not what you say, you're blinded by those fucking assholes in Diamond City, who wouldn't know a smart decision if it stabbed them in the chest, but the point of what I'm saying... I love you.'' Her eyes widened. Her mouth fell agape. ''L-L-Love?! But...I'm-'' ''No... You're not.'' I closed the space, and locked my lips with her's.

She froze up as I kissed her, so I just had my way. Taking advantage of her open mouth, I explored her mouth, savoring the taste of bubblegum and Nuka-Cola, as my tongue rubbed against her's. I left her mouth, and immediately moved to her neck, sucking and biting gently on her soft flesh. Her eyes closed, and she started to lightly purr at the sensation. I stopped, positive she had a hickey now, and gently stroked her cheek. She opened her eyes, looking at me in shock, confusion, but mostly desire. ''B-Blue! I-I-..." Her face was flushed, blushing heavily. ''I-I never thought...'' ''It would happen? Me neither. But I really do love you, Piper. You're the person I care for the most, and I mean it in every sense of the word that I love you, and I want to hear from you... Do you want this?" She frowned, slightly. ''B-Blue... I want it so fucking badly, but are you absolutely sure you won't regret it? Are you sure you won't have any second thoughts?" _Think about it, Blue...In all seriousness, no kidding around, this is gonna shape your life for the next couple months, years, hell, maybe your entire life._ ''I want it just as much as you do...It is impossible to put into words how amazing you are, and I need it, and you need it.'' A tear slipped from her face, and she pulled me into a kiss. Unlike our last one, she was all over me now. We were kissing, sucking, groping...I suddenly remembered the hotel, and silently debated with myself if I should take it that far. _Why not?_ She's a virgin, so she might not be into this, at least not yet. _Maybe, but you gotta go to the hotel anyway, so why not try?_ You know, you're a great wing man, honestly. It's a shame you're a scumbag. _Eh, understandable._ She gently bit my lip, and I granted her access. Our tongues wrestled with one another, and I considered the ups and downs of having sex on the streets. We broke apart for air, gasping as we looked into each other's eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Writing about sex is one of the hardest things to write about. You see, you start to lose focus about what your writing, and there aren't a lot of variations of the words, ''Moan, smiled, pumped,'' and many others. Try writing a sex scene, you'll see what I mean. Anyway, this new Kellogg angle is gonna be kind of an OC sort of thing. He'll be a more sarcastic Blue, sometimes he'll be a major influence in Blue's decision, sometimes he wont even show up in the chapter, but I decided he'll stay for the entire story. So, get excited for that, whoopee!...So, obviously, this chapter will have sex, and you know what's funny? You don't really get turned on writing it. Kinda weird. Now, I really wish I could capture Piper's character better, but she's one of the most unique characters ever written, which I know I'll get death threats about, but fuck you, I like her. Also, the relationship is gonna have sex, but most of the time, it won't be written, cause it would just be copy and paste every time. So anyhow, there is still gonna be a lot more character development, including the relationship, some major and minor character deaths, fight scenes, stuff like that, so make sure you be on the lookout, and you pay attention, because quite frankly, it's about to get a lot more complicated after this chapter. Without any further adieu, a sex scene!**

I glanced towards the Rexford. I grabbed Piper's hand and walked quickly inside, throwing a bunch of caps on the desk, getting my keys and ran into our designated room. I quickly locked the door behind us, and turned around. I grabbed onto Piper, passionately making out, as I carefully guided her onto the bed. She giggled as we fell into the soft mattress, and she rolled on top of me. She smiled, lustfully, as she pulled my top off. She lowered herself down my body, her lips gliding over my chest and abs softly. She stopped at my recent scar, from our encounter with Kellogg. _How ya holding up?_ Turns out you can't hit anything unless they're right in front of your fucking face. _Ouch! Harsh._ She traced her fingers along the length of it, and frowned. She locked eyes with me. ''Blue...Be more careful, please...'' ''I promise, Piper." The ghost of a smile appeared on her lips, as she got to my pants. She, as painfully slow as she could, lowered the zipper, and slid off my pants. I pulled her up, shoulder length, as I didn't want to get completely naked before I took off something of her's too. We locked lips as she swiftly took off her jacket, and undershirt, exposing her athletic body to the cold, Boston air. I stopped kissing and leaned back, admiring Piper's form. While she was just a journalist, our adventures, fights, and the occasional climbing and jumping, made her body something to drool over. I couldn't count the amount of times I caught myself staring, and almost being caught by Piper. _Almost?_ It was very awkward. She started to blush as my eyes ran over every curve of her, and I giggled as she turned away. I turned her onto her back, and lowered my lips onto her neck, nibbling softly, and reveling in every moan that escaped her lips. I smiled coyly, as I reached my hands behind her, removing the restrictive fabric covering her chest.

Having had my fun with that, she was properly gasping and moaning at every bite, suck and lick. I looked up at her, grinning from ear to ear. ''Hold on there, darling, the fun's only beginning...'' I briskly went down, positioning myself in between her legs, getting her pants off in an instant. She gasped as I slowly rubbed my fingers over her panties, and across... ''Nngh...Blue...'' I moved her panties to the side, and rubbed my fingers in a circle, slowly around her entrance. My other hand, at a snail's place, went in a similar circle on her clitoris. She tensed up, squirming slightly. I pushed my finger into her entrance, causing her to moan in pain and pleasure. ''Fu-Ahhh! Je-Jesus...'' I pumped my finger in and out, picking up the pace as I went on. I could feel myself, hardening against my underwear. I removed my hand from her clit, which was quickly replaced by her's, and almost ripped my boxer's off. Soon, my finger was going full speed, she bit down on her hand to suppress her moans, and I could feel my finger getting slicker with her secretions. I knew she was close, so I removed my finger, immediately replacing my finger with my tongue, doing the cunnilingus. She yelped in surprise, as I expertly slid my tongue into her, and she wrapped her legs around my head, pulling me deeper into her, grinding herself against my face. She removed her hand, instead placing her hand on top of my head, grabbing a fistful of my dark hair, which only turned me on more.

''Ah! God! MMM-FUCKING HELL!" She came, all over my face, and I licked up the sweet nectar. Her legs loosened, resting on my shoulders. I stood up, still in the same position. ''T-Time for the main event, Piper...'' _Can someone say, betrayal?_ Fuck off, have you been watching us this whole time? _I wish I fucking couldn't! I see what you see, hear what you think, feel the pain what you feel...Not like emotional pain, no, actual pain. So, when she grabbed your hair, I guess cause I can't be turned on, that really fucking hurt, so please calm down._ Her eyes widened, and I could see fear in them. ''B-Blue, just..." "If-...If you want me to stop, I can, just-'' ''No! No, just...Be careful...Please.'' I smiled, comfortingly. I stroked her cheek, fondly, and spoke softly. ''Hey, I'd never, ever hurt you..." She seemed to relax a little bit, and I positioned my friend at her opening. I slowly entered, just my head getting in at first, and she gave a sharp yelp of pain in response. I held her hand, and she dug her fingernails into the back of my hand. I traveled deeper and deeper, her cries of pain getting quieter and quieter. And I started to hear a small purr as I got to the hilt.

I started to withdraw, and then pushed back in slowly, in a rhythm at first. Her tight walls gripped around me, making it a hard journey. Hehe. _I wish I could commit suicide right now._ She started to moan louder, and bit her lip, drawing blood. It trailed down onto her neck, and I clumsily wiped it off. My own moans grew feral, almost animalistic, as I started to go faster and harder. ''B-Blue! Y-...Yes..." I went double-time, pumping into her at a more rapid pace, almost my full potential. She forgot about keeping herself quiet, using one hand to go back to rubbing her clitoris, the other went around me, pulling me deeper into her with every thrust. The pleasure built up. I could feel the familiar tingling sensation. ''Blue, I-Fuck!...I'm getting close!" ''Ain't...Far behind you.''I quickened my speed again, at mock speed now, going faster than ever. ''Shit, it's...So fucking good!" _*Yawn*...I wonder how sleep works..._ I was at the point of no return, I hastily pulled myself from her, discharging onto her defined chest. She screamed, _loud,_ like I'm talking shotgun in the ear, loud. I collapsed on top of her, both of us panting from our...Confrontation? I guess that's a good word for it. I rolled over next to her, and she leaned her head on my shoulder. I pulled the blanket over us, a weird feeling, considering we had no clothes on, and a blanket rubbing over my crotch every two seconds does wonders to your hormones. ''That was...Awesome, Blue...'' "I must agree.'' She chuckled. "So...Does that mean-'' ''We're boyfriend and girlfriend?" I started to laugh, and she slapped my chest. ''Why do you have to make everything sound so stupid?" "Most things do when you're having sex.'' She blushed and I smiled wide. I sat up, and gave her a kiss. Not as passionate as before, but still showed my love. ''Yes...Yes it does, Piper." She returned my kiss, giving me a quick smooch before returning to her position. ''You're really not like everyone else." "What gave it away, the fact I'm a two hundred twenty three year old, in a relationship with someone barely an adult? Or maybe how I come from a time where roaches were tiny household pests you could just step on." She giggled. ''No...You liked me." "Yes...I like you a lot." "Well, I like you very much." "Like-Like?" She burst out laughing. _Jesus, I think my fucking soul just died. Don't ever say that again._

''I love you, Piper." She tightened her hold on me. "I-...I lo-'' Her voice broke as she talked. ''I love you too, Blue...'' I gripped her hand, and she held onto it in a vice grip. ''And for the love of god, don't get shot again!" "Don't worry!... I'll just stick to getting knifed.'' She pinched my back. ''No, silly! Don't get hurt at all.'' _Well, since I'm dead, and I was your biggest threat-_ How arrogant are you? _It's not arrogance when you can back it up._ Ever hear that Joseph Goebbels quote? _Yeah, you told me. I read all about those times, I'm honestly a fan of history._ Huh, interesting. ''I will...Now, get some sleep. We gotta get up early for our trip back to the city. Goodnight, Piper.'' ''Goodnight, Blue." I closed my eyes, and within seconds, I was engulfed in blissful sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

I opened my eyes, feeling a lot more comfortable than other mornings. Looking to my side, I remembered why. The sleeping beauty fell asleep latched to my arm, and her legs intertwined with mine. I noticed the bright, shining sun, as it's rays invaded my room. Sleep well, Kellogg? Know I did. Yeah, like a rock. And by that, I mean once you went to bed, I got to be dead again for a little bit. How did you know? Die, and you'll find out. I'll pass. ''Mmmm...'' Piper started shifting a bit, before she fully opened her eyes. We made eye contact, and I could see...Confusion? ''Blue?" "Good morning...'' She sat up, slightly. "...So, it really happened?" I chuckled, and blushed simultaneously, as I remembered the events that transpired last night. "Yeah, it did." She smiled, laying back down, snuggling closer into me. ''Thought it was just a really amazing dream..." ''Well, don't get too comfortable, Darling. We have to leave soon." She playfully whined, squeezing my shoulder. "Aw..." "What, wanna just stay here all week?" "No, but I don't want to let you go so soon!" _Jesus H. Christ, I feel like I just..._ Cringed? What does that mean? It's old slang, don't worry about it. I laughed, putting my arm around her shoulder, and kissing the top of her head. It felt...As much as I don't wanna admit it, familiar. Oh god, get over it. You got a young, pretty girl in your arms right now, don't be such a pussy. Easy for you to say. You pulled the trigger. ''That's so corny." "You're not one to talk about being corny." "Hey, I-...Eh, you're right."

''So, when we get back-" "I know, Minutemen, railroad, people like that, I promise I'll talk to them." "Thank you for remembering, but also...I kinda want your help with something." I looked up from what I was doing. She was wrapping her holster around her, slinging her cap on when she was done. ''Uh, sure. What is it?" She avoided eye contact, turning away, arms crossed. "An article. I...Need your help." "Thanks for not being vague." "It's not the most legal thing. I need you...Ah, fuck am I saying, don't worry about it." I slid my shirt over me, finally fully clothed, and walked over to Piper. I wrapped her into a hug, relaxing my head on her shoulder. "Hey, there's no problem too big for us to handle. There's never been anything we couldn't accomplish." She sighed. "That's the thing. We can't do it together." I was baffled. Ever since I met her, we had to do everything together. Now, no? "Piper, what are you asking of me?" "I need some information...About the mayor. Secretly. I leaned back. "You want me to spy on McDounough?" "Maybe?" "What? Why?" "I believe...The mayor may...Remember, MAY, be a...Ya know...Synth." I burst out laughing, unable to control myself. _Hahahahahaha! God, can you say paranoia?_ She turned around, annoyed. "Blue, I'm serious!" I calmed myself down, taking a deep breath. "Alright, I'm sorry! Haha...Sorry...Okay, do you have any evidence, so far?" ''That's why I need a spy, I want evidence. I just have a bad feeling! Throwing out all the ghouls, his similarities with another synth who shot up the bar-'' ''Yeah, I read about that. You're one hell of a writer, you know that?" She smiled, nodding at my compliment. "Thank you. But please, Blue, I need you more than ever!" " "I-I don't know..." "Didn't you say that no problem is ever too big for us to handle? Well, this is could be a problem! Come on, Blue, it'll be fun!" "...Well, that's true-'' ''And what if you actually find evidence of him being a synth? You hand it to me, and I could get it published, maybe saving the town! You'll be hailed as a hero!" "WE'LL be hailed as a hero." She shook her head. "I didn't do anything. I would just write the fucking thing, I'm not spying on anyone." _I'd do it._ No, you wouldn't. _True, but I don't wanna get bored in here. Come on, I wanna see some action!_ You saw me beat the shit out of someone, and then have sex, how much more action do you want? _Just fucking do it. For your girl!_ I sighed. "...Fine. But you owe me!" She squealed in delight, wrapping me in a hug. ''Don't worry...I'm sure I can make it up..." She eyed me up, suggestively. _Ooooh, it's getting hot in here._

''Now listen, I got a friend on the Diamond city security roster. Name's Johnathan. He can help you." "How?" She shrugged. "Disguise, getting you past security- I don't know, he offered." "How long have you known him?" She whistled. "Wow, we go...Maybe, five years back. From my old town..." "That's not all, is it?" "Well," She started uncomfortably. "I wish that was all, but he...Wanted something more. I could tell." That's a lie. She'd have easily been able to tell you wanted her if that was true. "Did you?" She nodded her head, admittedly. "My first true love. But, he was also apart of my town's militia. And when I got Mayburn thrown out, Mayburn's buddies didn't really appreciate his closeness to me..." "They forced him away?" "It was the only thing they could do besides hurting me or Nat." "That's terrible!" "Yeah, but...When he got to Diamond city, about a month before you did, I could tell Nicky didn't like him. Johnny boy made it known that the feeling was...Very mutual. I think it was you turning up that made me stop talking to him." "Made?" "You had influence!" "The fuck are you talking about?" She started giggling, slightly. "You were...Pretty cute." "Were?" "Are, okay?! You are!" We both shared a laugh, as we were on the road to the good ole, Diamond city. Johnny boy, huh? Let's see this guy.

''Danny's just a kid, he's lovable once you get to know him." "Were you saying that when he locked you out?" "...Danny's just a kid." "Haha...You hear that?" We were on the outskirts of Diamond city, almost the same place I got the shit kicked out of me. I could hear voices, coming from somewhere to the left. "Sounds like...Voices?" Piper closed her eyes, concentrating. "...Cooke?" "Huh?" "Cooke, I think I hear Cooke." "Fuck is he doing outside?" _Cooke...Oh, the bartender! Loved that guy, he was pretty cool. He's a crook, though. Always finding trouble_. ''Wanna check it out?" "I mean...I guess." We both shrugged, and followed the source of the voices. We arrived near the docks, where we peaked around the corner. Cooke was in a standoff, leveling his pistol at some ghoul in a suit. "Shit, we gotta help him!" I whispered. "But we don't know what's going on." "Cooke's in trouble. That's what's going on." She smacked my shoulder. "No shit, I mean we don't know WHY!" "You've got some balls, coming here alone, Cooke." "Maybe. But I ain't gonna be leaving empty handed. You," He pointed to that asshole in sunglasses from Diamond city. "The money. And Trish," He pointed back to the Ghoul woman, I suppose. "The chems. If everyone wants to leave with their skin intact, you'll follow my order." Everyone around him chuckled at his empty threat. "Goddammit, Henry!" Piper angrily whispered. "Well, we can't just sit around doing nothing." I stepped out of cover, much to Piper's distress, with Kellogg's pistol raised. Hey, that's my fucking gun! Put down that gun, that's mine! Shut up. "Hello, everyone! How's everyone's day going?" "God-...Damn!" Piper racked the slide on her 10MM back, and then stepped in. ''Friend, what the hell are you doing here? This is a private matter!" Cooke asked me. "I was in the neighborhood." "Man, this is bullshit!" "Imagine how I feel, I really didn't wanna have to shoot your ass, but shit happens. Right?" He looked at me, appalled. "I had enough, Trish help me take out this jackass!" Latimer pulled out his gun, but Cooke was faster.

One shot, right between the eyes, he was dead. The kid stumbled back, expressionless. The entire area was dead silent. Latimer seemed to fidget, unnaturally, before his legs gave out, dropping dead at Henry's feet. Cursing under my breath, I fired at the triggerman closest to me, firing at his upper body, dropping him to his knees, before falling back. Piper, equally as annoyed, aided Cooke in his firefight with the three other triggermen, taking down one, before everyone sprinted into cover. Due to our position, Piper hid behind a trashed building, as Cooke and I hid behind a broken down truck. The triggermen fired with their guns, pinning us down, as Trish ran over to Latimer's body. "She's trying to get the money!" Cooke tried to run out, but I pulled him back into cover right before a bullet zoomed past, almost hitting him in the side of the head. I waited, silently counting. Ten, maybe fifteen? _Seventeen, or eighteen, they'll run it in about 2, 3 seconds._ You so sure? _Yep, they just ran out._ As if on Cue, the bullets stopped coming. Shit, you were right! I gave a small nod to Piper, and we both stormed out of cover, guns blazing. It wasn't even a fight, as we easily dropped the remaining triggermen, leaving Trish standing in the middle, dumbfounded. I lowered my gun, glancing over at Cooke, and giving a thumbs up that it was safe to come out. ''Well, well, well. Look what we have here."

She had just finished spilling the password to Marowski's drug lab's terminal, or whatever, I didn't really plan on going over there, but Cooke seemed very interested. "Alright, I told you. You're gonna let me go now...Right?" She glanced back and forth between Cooke and I, nervously. "Well, that's the deal. But not a word of this to Marowski, or anybody else. Do you understand?" I slowly inched towards her, adding a bit of intimidation in my statement. I could tell Piper didn't really approve, but if that guy heard about this, I'd just have another guy trying to kill me. She nodded, anxiously. "Y-Yeah, I won't, I swear." ''Then go. And don't look back." She turned and ran, away from Diamond city, and away from the bloodbath that had just taken place seconds earlier. I watched as she ran, only until I heard a metallic click to my side. "Sorry, Trish..." Henry whispered. I turned, quickly, noticing him taking aim with his pistol at the fleeing ghoul. "No!" I rammed into him, knocking the pistol out of his hand, thankfully not going off. He stumbled sideways, steadying himself on the rail. Looking back at Trish, she was too far gone now to be hit. He looked back at me, angrily. "What the fuck, man?!" "She was retreating!" He shook his head, holstering his pistol in the process. "What kind of man are you to shoot someone in the back, Cooke?" Piper's question dripped with venom. "She swore not to tell anybody!" "Swears don't mean shit! Now we're all fucked, she knows who I am, one word to Marowski and I am fucking finished, bud." I rolled my eyes. _Well...He's gotta point._ I didn't ask you. ''I'm not shooting an unarmed civilian." "She's not a civilian." "She's not a crook without a gun, is she?" He looked towards Piper, as if debating something...He closed his eyes, stopped clenching his fists, and let out a deep breath. "Alright...You did save my ass back there. So, I guess I owe you one." He turned and walked back to Diamond city. Looking back at the fallen triggermen, I could barely bring myself to look at them in the eyes.

I wrenched off to the side, gagging from the sight of Latimer's body. I almost threw up leaning over the railing. Piper straddled up beside me, patting me on the back. "I-..." "Never seen you do something like this..." "He's a fucking kid...An asshole, but he's a kid." "You didn't kill him, Cooke did!" "Doesn't matter...He's dead...Nothing we could do about it." She frowned. "You never...Never mind. Come on, we should get back to the city." _Getting soft, eh Blue?_ Not soft. I'm being a good person. I walked away from it all, leaving the gory sight.


	8. Chapter 8

''You can try and arrest me, but why don't I tell the reporter here how I was acting in self-defense." I still had my face pressed up against a wall, but his grip on my shirt loosened. Piper, who was still trying to find out why I was being arrested from two other security members, was not close enough to hear me, so it was a big bluff. "Say that again?" "You think I'm stupid? That's what I told your four friends. You know what happened to them. But it was only after they started pushing me, and flashing their weapons around. I gave them many warnings, and then one of them decided that it wasn't worth listening to me anymore, cocked back their fist...And the rest is history." "And how do I know you ain't just bullshitting me?" "Because they told me the reason they were there." "Oh yeah? What's that?" "That you're trying to use me as a message to Piper so she'll stop writing about the mayor! She sees me banged up, with a threat that they'll do worse next time, and you assume she'd stop or at least write about something else, right? I don't think you're late buddies were expecting me to fight back." It's not like he could slit my throat in the middle of the street and that would be the end of it, and he knew that. After a moment, he released my shirt, and pushed me against the wall for good measure. "You stay quiet about this, we'll stay quiet about this. Simple as that." I dusted myself off, and turned around. "Ha. And you think I don't know you'll try it again?" He shrugged. "I'm not giving the orders. Personally, I don't care about what someone writes, or if someone bad mouths someone else, so if it's worth anything...But what I do care about, is a murder in this city, because we're trying to restore law and order, understand?" I nodded. "I understand officer." "Good. I'm glad we understand each other. Don't fuck it up, you hear?" I followed behind him, and he collected his two other officers, who seemed a bit confused about why I was being let go, and I collected Piper, who seemed confused as to why I even needed to be let go.

''Excuse me, Sir!" I turned to walk away, but we were stopped by Sullivan. I glanced towards Danny, and sighed. ''Yeah?" "W-Well, it's...Actually for...Um...Piper." I never seen this kid act nervous like this, and I swear I could see his hands shaking as he handed Piper a note. ''Johnathan told me to give it to you." I frowned, not hiding my...Discomfort. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit jealous. Wait, why am I jealous? Just a friend. Piper looked...Shocked. Obviously, it was a pretty big coincidence, so I'd be shocked if I was her too. _A note?...Holy shit! Talk about a twist! I wish I had some fancy lads to eat as I watch this shit._ What are you talking about? _Hahahaha, you'll see._ "Johnny? I haven't spoken to him in like a month! When did he give this to you?" "Well, just two days ago, I think." Piper took the note, scanning it quickly, top to bottom in like, five seconds. She looked...Kinda disappointed? "You okay?" She sighed, heavily. "Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks, Danny." He nodded, going back to his post. "Any time." ''Well, what's it say?" She held the note to her chest, backing up slightly. "N-Nothing!" _Nothing, my_ ass. What do ya think? _It's probably a love letter._ Really? You think? _Yeah. Why else is she so flustered right now?_...You're right. "Piper, you don't have to hide anything from me. I love you, okay? And I'd never get mad at you for ANYTHING, so if there's something you want to tell me, you can..." She looked up, as if arguing with herself, debating something. After a moment, she shook her head. "No. There's nothing." I put on a fake smile, hiding a frown, and held her hand. "Well...Then, let's go find Nick."

So...The glowing sea. Our answers? In there. Only problem was the equipment. If I needed to go down there, I would need an extra suit of power armor for Piper. I wanted to convince her to stay, but she was hellbent on coming with me. "I'm not letting you get sucked up in a radioactive fucking tornado by yourself." Were her exact words. We walked the streets of Diamond city, stopping by Takahashi for some noodles. Piper kept on looking down at her food, but never touched it. Just laid it there, staring. "...You okay?" She looked up at me. "Yeah, why?" "Because you're staring at your noodles, are they suspicious or something?" She chuckled, looking back down. "No, just...I'm not doing well with this whole situation." "What do you mean?" "Well, we got the Institute, who I'm sure it's not too long before they come and give Piper and the family a visit. We're trying to find their stronghold, I'm sure they don't really like that. I got Nat, who's growing up, becoming more rebellious, trying to come into her own...And then we got McDounough, likely a synth informant-" "Oh come on." "I swear I can prove it!" "Well, I CAN, but go on." "...Then we got you..." I smiled, and squeezed her shoulder. "Yeah?" "Always rushing into battle, my human shield, always willing to help out anyone no matter the price or the reward, always willing to risk life and limb for the greater good, and...My lover." She smiled, sadly. "But that's not good." "Huh?" "Because you throwing yourself into a hail of bullets, trying to save me! I mean, I partially blame myself for being such a damsel in distress-" "Stop being so hard on yourself for Christ's sake. You don't give yourself NEARLY as much credit as you deserve. Hell, you killed your fair few of Raiders in our travels, I'll tell you, I'm glad you're on my side." She nudged me, jokingly. "Maybe you can teach me a few things, we'll be unstoppable! You're a one man army!" "No-" "Yes! You've killed, like millions of feral ghouls, raiders, synths- I mean, there's nothing that could stop you!" I smiled at her praise. "Why thank you, !" I gave her a one armed hug, and we returned back to our food.

So, there I was, in all black, sneaking into the mayor's office at Twelve-a fucking clock-at night. I had told Piper to get some rest, that I'd handle it. _You think she's sleeping right now?_ ''Fuck..." I whispered as my bobby pin broke. Yes I do, as a matter of fact. _Mmhm. Wanna make a bet?_ With fucking what? _Look I know if you went to the Publick Occurrences right now, she wouldn't be there._ I'll deal with that later. ''Yes!" I could hear the click as the lock turned, and I was finally inside. I sneaked over to his desk, thankfully no one was there, I guess they were either out, or they retired for the night. The former was probably more likely. I scanned the desk, looking for any paper, report, notebook-Whatever looked suspicious. Nothing really interesting, except for one. Reading it, I shook my head in disgust. It seems the mayor has been very...Hands-on, with the town's tax money. It seemed out of every tax report, some money was missing from the final report. Nothing too big, almost unnoticeable. With the people in Diamond city, all paying their bills, I'd say...Maybe five, ten thousand caps? Ten seemed likely, for a city this big, and those rich assholes up in the upper-stands. Even fifteen could've been possible, money's not the same as it was two hundred years ago. Reading on, it seemed more likely the final amount should've been thirteen or fourteen, but let's say, twelve fifty, just to split it in the middle of ten and fifteen. Seems fair, right? Well, only eleven fifty showed up. That's three thousand caps, at most, missing. Remember how I said it wasn't noticeable? I was being sarcastic. So, it seems our mayor's retirement fund is gonna look pretty nice. Now, there's not exactly another form of authority in Diamond city, so no one's keeping up to date with what comes in, and what goes out.

A terminal, I found, held...Interesting information. I found it on accident, it seems our mayor had a very, and I mean VERY, complex contraption built. So, I was sitting at the desk, reading the tax report, and when I put the paper down, I was hunched over thinking. It was then I noticed a little something, a tiny something, under the mayor's desk. Not under it, but under LITERALLY the table. On it.

I got on my knees to look up at it. A button. A small as fuck button, that if it wasn't by a stroke of luck, I would've never seen. Pressing it, the wall across from me opened up. It made so much noise, I was afraid people outside, downstairs might have heard it. A regular terminal came out of the fake wall. A fake wall. I have no fucking idea how he set that up, but that's...Actually pretty impressive. _You know? I think your girl's onto something..._ Ya think? It didn't take long before I was able to easily hack it, as I had become accustomed to this sort of shit in the Commonwealth, and I found it. The nail in the coffin for McDounough. Files on EVERY resident in Diamond city, the security, even the children! Even weirder? At the bottom of every file, was a threat level. A fucking threat level. Believe it or not, Piper's was the highest. What a surprise. But the weird thing? I was in there too, but it wasn't like all the other folders. Mine only said a couple words. ''Skilled in weaponry, persuasion, and infiltration. MUST WATCH AT ALL TIMES. Might be rumored soldier, vault dweller, supposedly from two hundred years ago." _Now that's pretty fucking suspicious._ Kellogg, is this guy a synth? _How would I know?_ Well, you fucking worked for the same person. _Yeah, but I never really paid attention to Diamond city. Believe it or not, the Institute never actually really told me about which synths were operating in what cities. I'm sure they would've told me had I asked, but guess what?_... ... Are you actually asking me? _Yeah!_ I don't know! You didn't? _Exactly. But this guy's definitely a synth. How would he have known you're a soldier?_...You're right. This is fucking bad. Those caps, this invasion of privacy... I pushed the button again, and the terminal retracted back into the wall. I put all the papers back, neatly, and removed any evidence of me being there.

I was walking back to the Dugout inn, ready to sleep in and be put at ease, when I heard something. A sweet angelic voice, one that I knew all too well. One that had moaned my name just last night. Piper's. "Hahahaha! Oh...Yeah, you got that right." I turned back. Cooke's. _You thinking what I'm thinking?_ Kellogg... _Who else would she be with, smart one? Nat? In a bar? Nick's doing whatever the fuck he does, weird one he is, he ain't got time to go into a bar? Who else is she going to be with?_ As much as I hate Kellogg, he was right. It's about to go down. I stormed over to the front door, slowly and quietly opening it, as to not attract any attention. I was wearing sunglasses and a bandana, which I quickly put under my chin. A small baseball cap, which I had proudly collected, go Red Sox, and slipped it on my head. With all of this combined, it would be impossible for a quick glance, or uh...A peek, something like that, to notice me. I looked around the bar, and noticed Piper's trademark trench coat. In the same fucking place we sat every time we came here. _Really? That's fucked up._ She was in the seat that had her back to me. So, thankfully she couldn't see me. Now, we got this blonde haired blue eyes, handsome, buff, wet dream, I mean, holy shit, I felt competition. _No, it's done. You can't compete with that!_ You think he could beat your ass? _...Nah._ Well, I did, so... _How many times are we gonna go through with this? SHE killed me. Not you._ I helped! _How? By catching the bullets?_...Yeah?

So, Johnny boy, in the flesh. _Thinking about that...How the fuck did you hear her talking?_...I don't really know...I suppose...But I'll talk about that later. I walked over to the bar, thanking god for mirror shades, and sat down on the stool. "What can I get you?" "It's me...Blue." I whispered just low enough for him to hear. He looked confused, but looking back at Piper's seat and her...Well, he understood. "Coming to have a little spying session?" "I don't want to think this is anything more than it is. See anything...Suggestive?" He chuckled, going back to cleaning his shot glass. "Nah. At least, not yet." I felt slightly relieved at that. "So...Any drink?" "The strongest you got." He grinned. "No problem."

"Piper, I don't know about this..." "I'll introduce him to you later. He just needs some help, like...Like leaving a certain door unlocked, maybe distracting your fellow guards for a couple seconds, leaving the lights off, I don't know, all I know, is McDonough needs to go." "Why? What has he done? Piper, you have a vendetta against this guy." "Were you thinking that when I was trying to expose Mayburn?" Johnny boy sighed, leaning back into his chair, and closing his eyes. _Maybe...Maybe I was wrong._ I pray to God you are. ''...Piper, you know how close I was to your father. It hurts me just as much as it hurts you to know he's gone." "Maybe...Maybe...But you work for the guy, haven't you noticed something wrong with him?" "Of course I had, but this job is way too lucrative to let myself get mixed up in that shit!" "...So money's worth more to you, huh?" He shook his head. "Piper...I'll think about it. But let's talk about something else. How are you doing?" "Fine, pretty good actually." "Oh yeah? Is it still just the rat pack? You, Nat, and little Nicky?She giggled a little. "Well, there is someone else...Remember the guy I wrote about? The vault dweller?" "Oh yeah-Wait? You're friends with a vault dweller?!" ''Haha...Um...A little more than a friend." ''...What do you mean?" "He, uh...Him and I are traveling together, you know-'' "You're together?" "W-Well, I mean...I-I guess-" "Are you satisfied?" The fuck? "W-What?!" "How long have you been together?" "L-Last night-" "Oh, so you've fucked him?" _The fucking nerve on this guy, holy shit!_ Oh, it's fucking on. "What is wrong with you?!" "I'm just wondering how you could put out after one night." I heard the chair slide out, so I assumed she was standing up. "Listen, Wait!" "Why?" "Because. This guy, I read the paper. His wife just died, and like a week later, he's fucking you?"

I could actually feel a pain inside me when he said that. "I'm leaving." "Goddammit, just-'' I turned around, watching as Piper angrily walked out of the bar. _How did it turn from a friendly conversation, to a talk about if your boyfriend is fucking you good._ I have no fucking clue. Second Fabio sat back down, taking a gulp of his beer, and reclining back into his seat. ''Hey, Cooke..." "Yeah?" "You armed." "Heh, you betcha." "Keep it half-cocked, will ya?" I stood up, and walked over to his-No, MY table. He barely noticed me until I sat down across from him. He looked up at me. ''The fuck are you?" I shrugged. "I'm just the guy keeping Piper satisfied."


	9. Chapter 9

"I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I can smell a bit of jealousy on you..." _That's ironic_. He scoffed. "Oh yeah? Well, you got that right. So I am a little jealous." "A little? You just asked if I satisfy her, fucking satisfy her!" "So?" "That's not just...Are you even human? Who talks like that?! You're fucking weird, that's just laughably stupid. I rolled my eyes when I heard that." He stood up, the chair falling backwards as he did. "Are you saying I'm a synth?!" "I'm saying that your charisma is the reason why you never got into Piper's pants, you egotistical, piece of shit jock." Everyone in the bar was looking now. I should probably get them on my side if worse comes to worse. I took off my sunglasses and hat, allowing people to see my face. "Oh shit, it's the vault dweller!" I turned around, looking at the patrons, maybe nine of them. It feels so good to be a local celebrity! "If anything happens...It was self-defense, alright?" A few patrons snickered, and my friend, Johnny boy, just rolled his eyes. "Look, buddy, all I want is for you to stay away from Piper. If you can do that...No one gets hurt." "No." ... "W-Well, I..." "Wasn't expecting that?" "...Not really, no...Okay, can you please stay away from Piper?" He chuckled, rounding the table and advancing on me.

I clenched my fists, hoping to be ready in case of something bad. "You don't get it, do you? I'm one of Diamond city security's best. I own this fucking place." "Just cause you're a security member, doesn't mean you're the mayor, okay? Get off your fucking high horse." He got up in my face, but I didn't back down. The height difference was noticeable, but not overly bad, I was six foot, he must've been...Maybe Six three, six four. "What're you gonna do if I don't stop seeing Piper? I've heard the stories about you. The shit you did outside these walls. You're fucking nothing. You're just a bully, picking on people with not near as much fame as you. Well, lookie here. Now, you have someone your size to pick on. And I'm in your face. Did Piper ever tell you about what happened back at her old settlement? Fuck, she might not remember." "If she doesn't, then how would she tell me?...Well, now I gotta know, come on, tell me." He leaned in close, whispering so the crowd wouldn't hear. "Piper and I had always been friends. Close friends. Thick as thieves. She wanted to stay friends, but I had different intentions. I brought her to my house for a drink. My father worked for the militia, and my mother was drunk, passed out in her room. Piper and I sat on my couch, talking, don't ask me what about, I didn't really give a shit. Anyway, I walked out of the room, and got some liquor from my mother, bitch seemed to always have a drink in her hand. So, I come back with it, and of course, she plays the, 'Oh, but I don't drink, I'm a good girl, I'm too young' Blah Blah Blah. I have a little thing, works wonders for dates with a person you only want to have some quick fun with, and have them forget it the next day." "How the hell did you find a sleeping pill?!." "And I convince her, 'Oh, just one little sip, I swear, it's just a tiny bit!' "...

''So, I'm palming the pill in my hand, when she's not looking, I drop it in the glass I got for her, and stir it. I didn't have enough time to do that many stirs, so I'll admit, I was kinda nervous." Why is he telling me this shit?! I could easily just tell Piper! _I don't think that's a good idea._ Why? _You'll see._ "She was always gullible." "No..." "She was a little drowsy." "You motherfucker." "I told her to lay down, she might be under the weather a bit. I arranged her body, so it was a little easier to-" I pushed him back. "I'll kill you..." "You weren't the first person inside of her. How awful does that feel?" I reached into my pocket, grabbing my switchblade, but I knew I couldn't pull it out. "She didn't remember anything in the morning. I escorted her home, telling her she passed out from her first drink, and the stupid bitch actually believed me, and guess what?! She apologized!" He whispered that, right into my ear. "I'm gonna hurt you. Bad. So bad in fact, no woman will ever talk to you again. And even by a stroke of luck, they come home with you, when I'm done with you, they'll leave as soon as you take off your pants." "If you even lay a finger on me, I'll tell Piper, and then what will she think?" _I gotta admit, you are kinda an asshole._ How?! _You took the credit for killing me, left some guy for death in the bar, broke into the Mayor's office, and now you're threatening to cut off some guy's ball-_ Alright, dickhead, I get it. "And, by the way, you're not my size. Here, let me help you with that." I grabbed his shoulders, using him as leverage of sorts, for me to wind up my knee.

When my knee connected with his cojones, he cried out in pain, dropping to his knees. The crowd was stunned by my sudden force of violence, not knowing how to react. Even Cooke was slack-jawed about the fact I had just hit a security member. "Shit, you're a little smaller than me. Hold up a second." I grabbed his throat in a vice grip, pulling him up to his feet. I used my other hand to deliver a punch, with every bit of power I had, right to his Adam's apple. He choked, gurgling on his own blood, so I released him. He grabbed at his throat, stumbling back, into the wall next to the bar. He slowly slid down it, before passing out. A small trail of blood, went from his mouth, all the way down to his shirt. The crowd was quiet as I turned back to them. I should probably get out of here...I could see some of the customers cower a bit as I walked towards the exit. _Wanna still tell Piper what he told you?_ That probably isn't the best idea... I put on my sunglasses, and hat, walking out the door. A security member was only a short distance away, by the entrance. ''Hey!" He turned, looking at me. "Yeah?" "This guy, he was...Just started choking, fell against the wall, I think he's passed out!" He nodded, looking towards the bar. "In Cooke's?" "Yeah." "Okay, I'll go check it out, citizen. Hey, do I know you?" I gulped. "Uh...No?" He eyed me, not saying anything. Finally, he shrugged. "Eh, whatever." And walked off into the distance. Well, okay then. Guess...Okay.

I knocked on the door to the Publick Occurrences, and Piper came to the door. "Hey, Blue." She smiled weakly. "Hey...I got some...Interesting information from my visit to the mayor's office." Immediately, her face lit up. ''Really?!" She threw open the door, allowing me inside. I walked in, laughing at her reaction. She led me over to the couch, and we both took a seat. She moved in close to me, giving me an incentive, so I draped my arm over her, as we snuggled on the couch. "I hope you didn't run into anybody..." I bit my lip. _Yeah, Blue, did you run into anybody?_ ''Uh, n-no...No, it went perfectly." She smiled, and squeezed my shoulder. "Good...I mean, nobody can match up against you, so I'm glad you didn't have to destroy somebody!" We both chuckled, even though I sounded very uncomfortable. "Y-Yeah...So! The information." "Yes. What did you find?" "Two things. See, first I looked over the mayor's desk, right? Found a tax report, showing, big surprise, how he's embezzling money from the town!" She blinked, not really knowing how to react to this. "Are you positive?" "I found the report, right on his fucking desk. A couple thousand missing, but, like I told Kell-Like I told myself, it's not very noticeable." _How could you be such a freaking idiot._ "Still, it's thousands of fucking caps every time it comes in. Along with his legal salary, he ain't gonna be starving anytime soon. What should be going to the city, is really going in his pocket!" I sighed. I should really take up a position in politics. Piper slid out from under my arm, and stood up, looking like she was gonna explode.. "I'm not gonna say I wasn't shocked, but...What this city could do with that extra bit of money and that son of a bitch wants to take it for himself...We live in poverty, while those rich bastards in the upper stands live in luxury, in peace, without a worry in the world! Stops people from sharing the truth, puts the town in danger, rips off the traders that come through, but that's not enough, so ripoff your own people too, exploit everything in your favor so that you make money from work that nothing came from you?! " She threw up her hands, letting out a inarticulate sound of rage. I stood up, walking over, and pulling her into a hug. She melted in my arms. "...Sorry...It's just...It wasn't like this, when I first came here."

"But I actually felt proud to have made a change in this city, for the better! But people...People can see differently. After that article, people seemed to forget all the good the paper did, and now just nagged me, every single fucking time I release an article, all I hear is, "Piper, why don't you write about something nice for a change!"...But I'm sorry. Just retold the story, ha..." I rubbed her back, trying to relax her. "I don't know, Blue...I mean, what are we gonna do!" That corrupt, sleazy, dishonest, Nixon copy. He played the town for a fool, and almost everybody believed him. Almost everybody. But...It would make sense. If he is a synth, I have no idea where those caps are going, but it obviously can't be good. "Piper...There's one other thing..." She leaned back, looking at me, eyes a little red. "W-What? Is it at least something good?" _Uh oh..._

I slept with Piper that night. Not slept but innocently slept. She explained it to me simply. "If what you found is true...Then, we need evidence. Those papers, they could be vital...Even if you can't convince people of the stuff you found off the terminal, embezzling money might be enough to make the town kick his ass out." I swore to her I would take down McDonough, so I promised to go back tonight. Now, we laid in bed, 10 in the morning, and I decided it was better to let her sleep, then wake her up. Gathering up my things, I gave her a kiss on the forehead, making her smile in her sleep. An angel...The ring...The ring. The ring! Fuck! I forgot to give it to her! _Trust me, you didn't._ Now's not the time!

Seabrook. I remember going there before the fourth of July, to buy some fireworks for Nora and I, the unnamed Hero. Maybe...Maybe I should make this special. Not just a, "Here have my dead wife's ring, happy holidays." But a more...Romantic thing. ''Hey, Danny." He looked towards me, smiling. "Hey, sir, how are you doing?" I sighed. "Um...Pretty okay. You?" "Why, just fantastic!" "That's great, that's great...Can I ask you something?" "Shoot." "Well, has anything about McDonough ever seemed...Off?" He grimaced. He walked closer to me, motioning me to come closer. I leaned in, and he whispered into my ear. "Just between you and me...A couple of days ago, he wanted a cell constructed in the Diamond city lock-up. A private cell, for a special person, he said. Then, just yesterday, I saw some black guy with sunglasses talking with McDonough in his office. Seems normal, right? Well, they go into his office, the guy never comes out! I tried asking him about it, but he just changes the subject!" "Almost like he disappeared into thin air?" "Yeah! I don't know if the guy and the cell have anything to do with each other, but that whole disappearing act is crazy!" "It is. Well, thank you for telling me this, and if anything else happens, do you mind telling me?" He shook his head. "No! No it's no problem, man...You have a good day." "You too. And if you hear a guy on the intercom, barely breathing, and sounds like he's dying, that's me, so please let me in." He chuckled, and waved me off. "No problem, sir. See ya."

''No, I understand what you're telling me...But you're insane." I sighed, pinching my nose. "Preston...If it works out, the Minutemen will be in the spotlight again! You'll be playing with the big boys, after this." "IF it works. The Minutemen just aren't strong enough for something like this." "Yes, you are. I'm a fucking juggernaut! I'm a force of freaking nature, and I'm on your side, what more could you want? I could do this all myself, but I need someone to be able to run the city fairly." I pointed at him, and he turned away shaking his head. "No, no I can't-" "Preston, you've led your own damn army! What makes you think you can't do this? You won't be the only leader, I'm running a democracy here!" "What do you want me to do? You're exactly right, I do lead my own army, but running a city will make me too busy to run it." "That's where I come in." He scoffed. "You're gonna run the army?" "Yep." "Do you even know what to do?" "I was in the army myself, asshole." "Things are different now. That was two hundred years ago." I stood up from my seat, slinging my pack over my shoulder. "Listen, all I know is, within the next week, something bad is gonna happen." "How do you know?" Trust me, bud. It's gonna happen. Yeah, but you're still not telling me what? You'll find out soon. It's one of the last things I talked about with the institute before... "Just fucking trust your superiors, isn't that the first thing you learn? I'M your superior. If it wasn't for me, you would be fucking nothing, absolutely nothing! You would've died in that museum, and the Minutemen would be forgotten, but because of me, you're still alive, and I will bring the Minutemen back into the spotlight, do you understand me Preston?" He sighed, pondering my words. "Listen, I understand what you're saying, but you're talking about a bunch of casualties to not only us, but also civilians-" "Trust me, they ain't gonna be fighting against either side, okay? Just get your troops ready, get some heavy guns, and when it's time, I'll tell you. Okay." I held out my hand, and after a moment's hesitation, he clasped it tight. "Fine. But I ain't hanging up my hat." I frowned, but I still understood where he was coming from. "...Yeah. I...Yeah, that's fine."

It's so lonely, without my beautiful little minx walking behind me making quips. Not only that, but giant craps, and bugs, and mutants and shit, it's just...Ugh. _Do you not understand what's about to happen?_ Probably not. _You're gonna be arrested..._ Oh yeah! That. Well, I came to terms with that two hundred years ago, so I'm not surprised. _You're also gonna be tortured, likely castrated, and executed._...Hmm. Well, America was pretty conservative, so capital punishment does sound pretty likely. Everyone's conservative until they step into the noose. _We're heading into the outer city now, with like five hundred pounds of fucking fireworks, which by the way, won't do any good in JAIL! But, in a couple of seconds we're gonna get shot at, and I really don't want you to die._ Why? _Cause you're life is awesome, to be honest._ Thanks. *ZIPP* A bullet whizzed past my head. That's not in front of me! _No, but it's about to be!_ I turned my head, seeing a couple of raiders chasing after me. I should probably run...Or I would've, if I hadn't just barely missed a bullet hitting the ground in front of me. Fuck. A diamond city security guard appeared from around a corner, then turned around, shouting for backup. I couldn't hear exactly what he was saying, because I was about to catch a bullet in my back, when I rolled to my right into an alleyway. What now, Kellogg, I could really use some advice?! _Um...Uh, I...J-..._ I know this alley, I'm going into a dead end! _Wait for them to shoot at each other, security and raiders don't exactly like each other!_ I ran deeper into the alley, until I finally hit the god forsaken wall. I turned my back to it, pulling out Kellogg's pistol, hearing gunshots echo in the distance. I only have a minute at most before one of the factions come to get me...


	10. Chapter 10

A security guard caught one in the hip, a Raider's throat got grazed by my 44. I moved to my right, and with the security caught up in a new, bigger threat, they didn't notice me in their flank. They had taken cover behind a broken down car, and I realized just how bad they were outnumbered. About three guards, versus almost fifteen raiders. _Why are the raiders after you?_ Probably because of me slaughtering, like, a thousand of them. But who knows, they're raiders. I raised my pistol, aiming at the back of a guard. ... I wanted to pull it, I really did, but something about shooting someone in the back made me hesitate. I could feel the cold, metallic trigger on my index finger, and for the first time in my life, I lowered my gun and spared my foe. Not that it did much, because a bullet zipped straight through his head, right through his brain, and blood splattered across the pavement as his head snapped back, throwing him backwards, and sprawling him across the ground. I stood paralyzed, and so did his friends, who finally checked their six, and saw their real target. The bullets were only coming from one direction, now. I turned around, blindly firing at them as I did, and sprinted down the street, reaching the wall of the city, as I heard the blood curdling screams of the last two Diamond city security guards being gunned down by the raiders, now undisturbed, and on my tail. I smacked the intercom button. "Danny! Danny, it's Blue, let me in!" Silence followed over the intercom. "...Danny, this is no time to play around, your security force is dead, raiders are coming, and they absolutely ruined them, if you don't let me in, McDonough's gonna have to go send another force of guards into a trap to get my body back. Now, if you don't want anymore of your friends dying, let me the fuck in!" More silence, but I could hear a hushed whisper, barely audible, and finally Danny spoke up. "Okay. Holster your weapons and put your hands up." The contraption lifted up, and I was greeted to a intimidating sight.

''Shoot me! I dare you, Shoot me!" I screamed in the face of the thirty-something rugged man, eyes burning with hate, and for a second, I thought he would pull the trigger. But, with visible effort, he put it down, turning, and motioning for his goons to scatter. Like roaches to light, they were gone in seconds. After a minute standoff with the raiders, the security guards breathed a little easier, and their fingers moved away from their triggers. Both sides didn't want anymore casualties to clean up. The twenty five man army was an impressive sight. Or, I would've been impressed if I didn't know their current intentions. My 10mm strapped to my side, with my revolver at the other, I felt like all eyes were on me...But I didn't do anything. I complied. I put my hands up, smiling as they forced me to the ground, pointing their barrel at my head.

They led me, straight through the city, and people looked at me like a rare animal. People looked on, frowning and disgusted from this situation. _Think they linked the bodies to you?_ Thought we had a deal. Guess not. _You know what that means, right?_ Yep. Guess I should start saying my prayers. Nobody said a word. Not even Nat, as her hand went over her mouth, to cover her shocked expression. Not even Nick, who didn't seem to know whether to be disappointed, or sympathetic. Not even Takahashi, who didn't even give me his sales pitch as I walked past him. Not even the school teacher, or his floating TV, or the barber, or the vendors...The only person who said a word...Was Piper, who hurled profanities at me, as she was pulled away from security. "You motherfucker! How could you do this, I trusted you, you piece of shit! You asshole!" Nick took Piper from the guard, and she burst into tears, looking away from me, and burying her face into Nick's shoulder. That actually broke me. My whole demeanor shifted. I tried to be the tough guy all the time, but... I desperately wanted to break free, to hold Piper, to tell her nothing was wrong, everything was fine, to hug her, to kiss her, to...To... "P-Piper, I'm sorry! I-I swear! I'll make it right, sweetheart, I'm sorry!" My hands bound, I struggled in vain to get out of the guard's grasp. They pulled me back, and I turned, looking at the office. That motherfucker's hideout, his safe house, and I swear...I swear, I could see him, standing at the window, smiling as I was pulled away...

Waking up in Prison feels like shit. It's makes you finally accept that this is your lifestyle now. Two guards stood by my cell, my newly constructed cell, the one Danny was talking about, the one that would hold me for my final days alive. "Wake up. It's time for you to hear your charges." I sat up, shrugging. "Lay it on me, man." "Oh, nonononono...We're not telling you them, McDonough requested that HE personally tells you." "Huh?" I stood up, and I could see the door across my cell, isolated from the other rooms, open up with a bang. ''Sorry to keep you waiting, we've already been introduced, haven't we?" I made out McDonough in the darkness. The mayor himself has come here. The guy who I've been wanting dead ever since I've came into the city, and now in this perfect fucking moment. He escapes. What a shame. He walked up to the bars of my cell. "Excuse me, gentlemen, can you give us some alone time?" The guards looked at each other, and shrugged. Turning around, they both exited the already cramped room, even more cramped with a cell in the middle of it, and shut the door behind them. "So, you're the one causing the ruckus in my city." "Your city? Well, after I kill you and take your position as mayor, then it really will be my city, won't it?" He shook his head, circling my cell. "Piper was close to being finished. We had done enough to make sure it got through her thick head that we would go to drastic measures if she didn't stop slandering me...Then, you happened." "Like a guardian, fucking angel, baby." "Because of you, Piper hasn't stopped. Because of you, the town doubts my authority, and staff. Because of you, two officers are dead, and three others are in critical condition. You're a dagger in my side. But, you're a sharp dagger. A very sharp one. So, I'll make you an offer." "Oh this should be good." "You accept this offer, we wipe your record, you get a spot in the upper stands, and the guards won't ever touch you again. You deny? Well...To be perfectly blunt..." "Yeah?" "We'll kill Piper." _Huh, that escalated quickly._ "You wouldn't dare..." "Yes, we would. Here's the offer. I open your cell door, and you immediately go over to Goodneighbor, and have a visit with a man named Marowski. And when you're through with that? You come back here, you get paid, and we get you situated in the upper stands. A day later, you wait until nightfall, I'll give you a key to Johnathan's house, who I know you're acquainted with already, and...Well, you know what you need to do. A day later, you go meet with Henry Cooke, and Paul Pembroke. When you're done with that, you never speak to Piper again, and you and I are finished. You can continue living in this city, but without talking to Piper, her sister, or I. Understand?" ...Hmm. Interesting. "So...From what I'm getting. You want me to be a hitman? And, you're asking me to kick Piper to the curb?" "...Precisely."

"Why do you want them dead?" "Well, Marowski has been sending his people a little too close to our people, and now our people are complaining. Obviously, a mayor's gotta do what he's gotta do to make people happy!" "Johnny boy?" "Well, he's the one who ratted you out. He might have a problem with the fact that you're now out of your cage, and most likely seeking revenge." "Alright...And I'm pretty sure I know why you want Cooke and Pembroke dead. But..." "Listen, I know this is a bit too sudden for you, so I'll give you a day to think it over, and I'll have a, uh...Special person, come and read you your charges, okay?"

Well, this is a predicament. _You think?_ The door across from my cell creaked open, and I turned towards it. The guards had cleared out, I guess they figured they had babysat me long enough. "Who's there?" I called out into the darkness. "You should know." I instantly recognized that voice. The same voice that kept me going the last few weeks. The one that I got out of bed for. Piper. "You here to yell at me?" "No, surprisingly. Business first." She stepped up to my cell, her face being illuminated by the small light in here. "You wanna know why I did it?" She shrugged. "What would it matter? No matter what happens, McDonough won't let you free...I think he knows." "Fuck...They've been giving you trouble?" She nodded. "As soon as you were out of sight, they were all over me. Never said anything. But they made sure I knew they were there." "Nat?" She sighed. "She's begging me to break you out." "Haha...Love that kid." She smiled, looking down. "...They hit you first?" I looked away, breaking eye contact. "...You ever read the bible?" She nodded. "Some of it." "There's this one...I'm not religious, but there's this one story, um...Bout Moses, I think...Said that once he had grown up, he witnessed a slave owner beating his slave, and...He struck him down, and hid his body in the sand...And, you could really put that story into play now." "How do you figure?" "Diamond city, the citizens and everything like that, is the slave. McDonough, obviously, is the slave master. And you and I? We're Moses. Freedom fighters." She laughed. "That's a nice way of putting it...But you still never answered my question." "I killed them. But only because they would've killed me, and they would've killed Nat." She frowned, turning away. "And how can I just believe that? I loved you. Trusted you. You were the first person I felt complete with. Then...And Johnny. Why him? Why the fuck did you almost kill him? To an inch of his life. Are you kidding me?! Like, are you fucking serious?"

"You saw how he was acting! Back then, someone disrespects someone important like that, they'd kill him. Shoot him in the back in private, cut off his ear, send it to his family telling them if they want to see him alive again, they would need to pay a ransom or they'd get a tongue next. They'd get the money, bury the body, and bribe the police. See I'm the real gangster. Nelson isn't. Marowski isn't. I am." "You take pride in that?!" "No I don't! I feel sick to my stomach because of it! It makes me mad, but at myself, because if someone crosses me or someone I love," I motioned to her to put emphasis on my words. "I know just how fast I'll drain their fucking life from their eyes! So, why should I suffer the consequences of what was routine back in the day? Kill me, kill all the ghouls, and then blow up the vaults. Kill their children and any sort of connection the old generation has in this new world? No, fuck that." "What are you trying to say then?! That I should be afraid of you? Sympathetic of you? Maybe you deserve to be here." I looked over, throwing a withering gaze at her. "But I do everything, thinking of you. I love you, and I love Nat, I love Nick, and I love...Loved Nora. Piper, if anything were to happen to you, I swear on Nora's grave, that I would kill myself." She turned away from me. "And then everyone would be depressed." "Maybe, but what's the point of going on?" "..." I could tell she understood what I meant. "You're saying I'm your reason of going on?" "Yes! You're why I'm still alive right now! I swear, if it wasn't for you, I would've stuck a knife in my wrist, or went in guns blazing in a raider settlement...Piper, you mean EVERYTHING to me, and if I lost you, it would break my heart..." She turned, eyes watering, and she had a genuine smile on.

I stood up, walking over to her, and gripped her hand through the bars. She squeezed tightly. I rested my head on the bars, looking into her eyes. "I'm gonna get out of here. I promise. And you and I? We're gonna free this city. I guarantee it." She circled the back of my hand. "...Okay...But after that...We're going after the Institute." I nodded. "I know. I know." She frowned, and let go of my hand. "They-...They think they caught another one..." "Another what? They found an institute synth?" "No...They caught another kid. Last night."


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey, wake up. You got a visit." I groggily opened my eyes, looking over at the two guards at the entrance to my cell. "Wha-What?" They unlocked my door, and opened it. "What're you deaf? I said you got a visit. Get up." It was only until then, that I saw there was actually a third person, standing a bit off to the side. I sat up. Was it Piper? "Come on." The guard motioned behind him, and the two walked off. The shadow in the dark stepped a bit more into view. But this definitely wasn't Piper. Way too tall. _Would you say, three, four inches taller than you_? Uh, maybe. Why- Oh fuck. I sat up, and practically jumped backwards into the corner of the cell. This might not go well. "What do you want?" "Is it not obvious?" He stepped into my cell, wicked smile, and I could see the bruise on his neck from our last encounter. "Oooh, you get lucky? Heh-" He advanced on me so quick I wasn't sure if I was even being attacked until the blood left my mouth. He kicked me, directly in my ribs, and I turned on my back. A searing pain spread over the right side of my chest, and my body started contorting in weird ways, like my abs started contracting one side, and I was pretty sure I looked like a ballerina dancer doing a move. Did I break a rib? The fuck is going on with me? He straddled my chest, and grabbed my shirt, pulling me up, and slamming me back down onto the ground. The back of my head bounced off the floor, and my entire world started spinning. My entire body as well, started to go limp, and I could barely feel my head being banged against the cold floor a second time. The back of my head started to feel very warm, and my ears popped, as I realized I was bleeding from the back of my head...And then my vision just turned into one big color...

/

"-At do you mean critical? Will he be alright?!" "I can't say right now, I'll need to do more tests to figure it out before I can make a proper diagnosis. As of now, I would advise you find the man who did this." "Hey, listen man, that's our number one priority, but we need to see if this guy will live, or if he'll die. Sorry, but this guy is kinda important." "I understand that, but I must ask you to leave, as I need to go check up on him, alright?" "...Alright. But you better fix him, Doc!" "Yes, yes..." Footsteps, and then a door opening. They echoed, so I assumed I was in some sort of small room. I was lying on my back, but it was way too cold and flat to be a bed. The footsteps got closer, until they sounded right next to me. It was silent for a couple of seconds, until a familiar voice called me out. "I know you're awake." "...Maybe." He sighed as I sat up. Opening my eyes, I realized I was in Sun's surgery room. "How did I get here?" "The guards brought you in. Said you, uh, tripped and fell into your bars-Hahaha!...Obviously, this shows signs of foul play, but from first impressions, it won't do any lasting damage." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Christ...Am I free to go?" He shook his head. "I'll still need to do some tests, see if you're still mentally there, but...After that you should be fine, um...Have you taken any medication or anything like that in the past twenty-four hours?" "I've been in jail the last seventy-two hours, so no, I haven't." He nodded, cracking a smile. "Personally, I couldn't give two shits about the security here. All they do is fear monger, never actually do something to help this shithole." "What happened with the missing kid? They're looking into it, right?" He scoffed. "That? The guards won't handle anything if it's Institute related. Got a problem with that? They'll tell ya to pack your bags." "Hasn't anyone said anything about that?" "Piper has sometimes, but McDonough just calls it slander, holds a speech and then everyone is back to hating Piper. It's a shitty world we live in right now, but that's how it's going to be forever." "...Maybe not. Sun, you got any medical supplies I can buy from you?" He looked at me weirdly. "...Yeah...I'm the fucking doctor. I can sell you medical supplies...I'm a doctor, that's kinda what I do..." "Asshole...I need stimpacks, like, LOTS. How much?" "Straight to the point...How many stimpaks we talkin'?" "About two hundred."

 _Where did you get all those caps from?_ Killed a lot of fucking people, man...Scumbags like you, mostly. _Wow, thanks..._ Ya know, this is really boring. _What?_ Laying here. It's so goddamn cold, how the hell does he expect me to sleep like this? _Look, you should be thankful that in this mess of a city, no one needs a surgery right about now. You're lucky he wasn't like that other guy and won't eat your brains...Or whatever he did. I don't know, I only heard rumors._ So dark...Yet, I could feel something...I had been laying here for almost two hours, in the pitch black basement of Sun's medical center, but it was like I was up for a reason... You feel that Kellogg? _Feel what_? I don't know...*crrrreeeeeaaaak*...Okay, the fuck was that? I sat up, scanning the darkness. "...Sun?" I called out, hoping to hear a friendly voice. The only response I got, was a clear footstep. Whoever it is, they're coming closer. _Alright, not to worry you, but you're about to die._ Shut up, let me listen. _I'm just sayin, this is some creepy shit, man-_ Shh! "Sun!" Still more silence. I reached over to the table next to my, uh, bed? Feeling for any surgical tools that may be there. "Identify yourself!" _You got a light on the Pip-boy, reach for that_! Oh yeah...Where is my Pip-boy?! I had it in the cell right?! _...Oh no._ When did they take it off?! _I-...When did they take it off?_ Well, this isn't gonna end well...

"Last chance, identify yourself!" All I heard, was the soft scrape of a footstep...Right in front of me. I swung forward, and immediately regretted it, as I instantly felt nauseous from the sudden movement, and fell to the ground, trying to catch my breath. Well, that wasn't a good idea... Hey, you can't see him, but he can't see you, remember. I swung again, not moving as much, in the direction where I thought I heard something. I completely missed, my momentum throwing me forward, and I almost threw up as I hit the wall. I wasn't sure I was even fighting anybody, until a sharp kick to the side of my head confirmed my suspicions. I drooled onto the ground as I got up to one knee. The kick both made my head feel like that night in the diner, but at the same time, it sobered me up. I quickly took a deep breath, closing my eyes, and rested my head in my hand. Mustering up as much strength as possible, I lifted myself from the ground, and stood still. He wants to hide in the dark? I'll join him.

I took a step to my side, controlling my breathing, and not moving a single inch as my foot touched the ground. The training from the army paid off, as I didn't immediately get punched in the jaw. _Get to the hatch._ I'm planning on it. The shadow obviously wasn't as trained as I am though, because another scrape against the pavement made me turn to my left, in the direction of the sound. I kept walking forward, making sure not to bump into anything, or anyone. Slowly tiptoeing, I reached the first step without incident...Then another...Then another...After a couple more, I was at the exit...And so was he. My leg pulled out from under me, and I was barely able to put my hands on the ground before I cracked my skull open. I used my leg to pull the assailant into me, and latched onto his shirt...Or suit...It definitely felt more like a suit jacket than it did a shirt. Cocking my fist back, I threw a punch into the shadow's face, and was rewarded with a yelp of pain in return. He was stunned for a second, giving me enough time to open the hatch, and throw myself onto the ground outside.

I limped down the street, hearing my attacker's footsteps getting closer to me. _Turn around and fight._ You insane? _Yeah, but so are you. He's gonna catch you anyway, might as well fight now._ Goddammit. I did a quick one-eighty, throwing a hook as I did, and actually managed to catch my chaser in the side of the head. "Ah!" He stepped back, falling to one knee and holding his hand up, as if to take a timeout for a sec. "Who the fuck are you?!" He looked up, blooding coming out of his nose. He was a middle aged man. Maybe thirty-five, forty. He was clean shaven, had black hair, actually pretty attractive. He wore a two piece suit, checkered tie, black slacks, beautiful dress shoes. Looked like a high-ranking mobster. "You know how to throw a haymaker, kid. Ain't nobody ever caught me like that." I loosened up a bit. "Who. Are. You." He chuckled, looking back down. "Your would-be assassin. Is it not obvious?" "Is that your fucking name? Would-be assassin? Your mother had a sense of humor." "That she did." He took his hand that he used to stop me, and motioned for a handshake. "They called me a lot of things." "They?" I grasped his hand, still wary. "The Nevada folk." "You're from Nevada? How did you get over here?" "I walked. Did anything to get the fuck outta there." "Long time?" "Took me almost two months. But at least I'm not in a civil war." "Civil war?" He looked at me strangely. "The robots vs the Legion vs the NCR?" I sighed. "Doesn't ring a bell, but none of this shit does." He shrugged. "Well, just to keep things simple, you can call me...Courier."


	12. Chapter 12

''You walked all the way from Nevada to Boston? Are you fucking nuts?" "Did you seriously not hear about the war?" "Bro, the last thing I remember, is being shoved into a block of ice before the bombs dropped and turn this piece of shit world into an even bigger piece of shit world." He stared, dumbfounded. "...What?" "You ain't seen the newspaper? 'The man out of time'..." He sat on to the ground, hiking up his knees to his chest. "The great war?" "You're damn right." "Like a ghoul?" "Kinda, but without the bad skin, you know what I'm sayin?...Now, answer my question. Why were you trying to kill me?" I stepped forward, towering over him. He scooted back, holding his hands up. "Hey, hey! Let's calm down!" "Maybe I would've, if you hadn't tried to kill me." I pulled him up by his hand, pushing him into the wall of a home base. "Hey, I wasn't the guy who ordered it, okay, they just told me to go in there-" "Who ordered it?" I held him by his collar, holding him against the wall, harshly. "I-I was just wandering and found this town, I've only been here like a day-" "Who ordered it?!" "I was just looking for work, and one of those security guys-" "Who was he, what did he look like?!" "Ju-Just-...Dude! I-" I put my hand up to his throat, applying just a tiny bit of pressure. "A-...It was-Um...It was two guys!" "Alright..." "And, uh, they were both white, one of them was about your height, the other was a bit taller..." "Okay. How much taller? Did he have a bruise on the neck?" "No...No, he was just like an inch or two. They asked-" "For you to kill me...You expect me to believe two guys just came up to you and asked you to smoke somebody?" "...Well, yeah-" I sneered at his stupidity, applying more pressure to my grasp."Let me put it to you like this. A couple of days ago, I was attacked by raiders and guards alike, taking bullets from every direction, forced onto the ground and had my hands tied behind my back, thrown in a cell, watched the love of my fucking life being threatened by corrupt cops, beaten to a bloody, hospitalized pulp, by a weird psychopath, who wants nothing more than to watch me bleed out, I'm technically being held hostage by the mayor, who is embezzling money from this town, which you can see, really needs it. I got a girlfriend who's constantly getting in trouble with said mayor, the guards, and everyone we come across when we travel. I've fought countless numbers of mutated bears, giant bugs, raiders, hitmen, guards, and ghouls alike, so I'll be damned if you don't tell me right the fuck now who gave you the order to kill me, because I swear to god if you don't, I'll hang you by the mayor's office by your intestines. So, let's start from the very beginning. Who gave you the order to kill me?"

"Don't even try and justify this. If I see a institute synth, you think I'm staying around to shoot it? Tryin to catch some shuteye!" "Do you know how much they'll pay us to stop a kidnapping? Stop bitchin' and stay alert." I jumped out from the corner, tackling the guard closest to me to the ground. Once he was on his ass, I brought my boot down on his face, knocking him out, pulled his helmet off, swiftly, and swung it at the stunned guard, causing his head to whip back, and fall down, unconscious. I sang out a whistle, and Courier appeared from his own corner. "These two?" He looked at the guard without his helmet, and shook his head. "Nope." "Fuck!" "...Oh..." I looked back at the other guard, as he let out a low groan of pain. I moved over to him, motioning for Courier to follow me. "Hey, buddy!" I got a another groan in response. "Hold him down." Courier stood over him, and grabbed his wrists, pinning him to the ground. I reached to the guard's hip, pulling his service knife from the sheathe. I slithered up to his face, knocking on his helmet. "Listen to me...You're gonna tell me who ordered the hit on The man outta time, Blue, the boy in blue-Whatever the fuck you want to call me, and if not..." I slid the knife up to his neck, holding it there. Then, I slowly, very slowly, dragged it all the way down to his crotch. "If not...You're gonna be the first female Diamond city police officer. Understand?" He was silent, not saying anything. In the army, torture went better if you held off teasing the victim.

His scream was muffled by my hand as the knife plunged into his leg. "Let's try again. Tell me who ordered the hit." He groggily nodded his head. "Y-You cause a lot of trouble for us..." "How? The hell did I do?" "You...Killed us...And Kellogg..." _What?_ "So?" "He...McDonough...Was gonna hire him to kill Piper..." "Why Kellogg specifically?" "...Don't know...But he was hellbent on it being Kellogg...Said...Adviser told him to do it before he came..." "Him? Who's him? Who's he?" "Black guy with sunglasses...Told McDonough she needed to be removed before he met her..." "Who's he?!" "Danny...Said he would take care of the problem once it arose..."

"We always used to bully Danny, we did...Ha...Kid couldn't ever aim a gun straight..." "He thought...Ordering a hit on me would get him some attention?" I was just as confused as Courier seemed to be. "I was gonna be the one to kill him-" "Yeah, but me and my partner over there," He looked over to his passed out partner. "Eavesdropped on this guy and him negotiating...Was gonna show up and take credit for both of the kills..." "Both-You're not making any sense!" "Without this guy...He was gonna say you killed the hitman, so he stepped in and shot you in the face...Of course, what really was gonna happen, was he was gonna wait till you got killed, shoot him," He looked up the Courier. "As he made the payment, and then claim responsibility for killing one of Diamond city's monsters." "Heh, thanks." ''But...I guess We'll have to do it ourselves."...Wait, what? "Look out!" Courier lifted his hand from the guard and pointed behind me. Turning around, I looked down the barrel of a 10mm pistol.

I dove to my left, hearing the ear splitting gunshot caused my entire world to ring. "Ah!" I fell on my stomach, holding my ear. I looked back, watching as the Courier dove forward, swinging into the gunman's body, and pushing the gun into the air. I used my willpower to pull myself up and go after the now rising guard I was just interrogating. He got to one knee, when I tackled him back down, driving an elbow into the bridge of his nose. I brought my elbow back up, and drove it down once more, causing blood to start leaking from his nose. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Everything seemed to stop. All four of us looked over at the people, now coming out of their houses from the gunshot that just rang out. It seemed like everyone in the center was out right now! From one gunshot?! People must be on edge from the kidnapping. I looked over at Courier, who had the guard pinned against the wall, wrestling the gun from his hand. I went back to my own opponent, who used the distraction to throw a hook, catching me in the cheek, and making me roll over onto my back.

He straddled my chest, throwing a punch that made me see stars. The back of my teeth started to sting, and I could taste and smell the blood that started to come out. Before he could swing again, though, another gunshot rang out, going straight through the guard's chest, and causing blood to spray onto my face. He collapsed on top of me, and I struggled to push him off, and get on my feet. I wiped the blood from my eyes, both his and mine. I looked over at my savior, as he finished off the second guard with a shot to the throat. Blood painted the wall he was pinned him, and he slid down, blood trailing along with him. I pulled my shirt over my face. "C-Cover your face, quick!" He pulled out a small bandana from under his shirt and slid it over his mouth and nose. "Come on, follow me!" I waved him over, and pushed my way through the crowd that had formed. I recognized some of the faces, Nick and his girl, Paul and his drunk wife, Moe Chronin. I hid my face as best as I could from the one person that mattered, not that I know if she is out here or not. Screams rose, but thankfully no one tried to stop us. Or at least, the citizens. "Stop now, or you will be shot!" We passed Takehashi's place into the little walkway, and once it was clear we weren't stopping, they started shooting.

The gunshots that followed more or less helped me, as the crowd quickly dispersed, letting me and the Courier move more quickly through the city. "The Cavalry's arrived, move it!" I pulled him by the shirt to keep up with my pace as I took a few quick turns around the buildings, to end up at the front door of the Dugout Inn.

We didn't head in to the bar, but we stayed by the door, listening to hear if any cops wandered by. "Hey, get back inside, we got some crooks on the loose, lock ya doors!" I could hear one of the guards shouting. I looked over at my accomplice. "I got a plan." "I would hope so." "We're gonna go to the Diamond city lockup, and turn ourselves in." He burst out laughing. "Good one!" "I'm serious, man! We're too deep, we can't fight a city, at least not yet." "...Are you fucking insane? We killed two cops, they'll hang us!" "I've got connections, I can get us both out in no time!" He eyed me up, suspiciously. "What's the connection?" "The fucking mayor, dude!" "...The guy who wants you dead?" "No, the guy who wants me to be his hitman." He sighed. "I did not come here for this." "What did you come here for?" "Quick cash! I needed some money and a place to stay, and if you don't like that, then piss off!" "I don't like that, because I'm the guy who you were looking to murder!" He pressed his back to the wall, letting his head hang. "...Sorry. Ya know...I lied back there." "Bout what?" "I didn't leave to escape the civil war...It already ended. I escaped because I won it." Huh? _Huh?_ "Huh?" "Legion vs The NCR...Vs Me." _With your guy's ego, I could jump from both of your's combined and splatter against the ground as I jump down to your IQ._ Jesus, that's messed up...But then again, I could take a jump from your narcissism and will free fall forever trying to land on your morality. "I made a plan with a securitron, and made my own army." "A securitron?" "He was a real yes man. Anyway, I disguised myself as an NCR soldier in the battle of Hoover Dam-" "The battle of Hoover Dam? I'm sorry, I've been asleep the last two hundred years, I'm not caught up with recent events." "Understandable, basically, it was an all or nothing battle.. Winner takes all, and, uh...Once I killed their last general, the NCR commander comes up to me...Wasn't expecting the giant army I had brought with me, though. I threw that fuck off the Dam myself, and I didn't give a damn what would happen. I beat the NCR of Vegas into submission, brutally...But after ten years...I-...I left it up to the securitron and gave up Vegas. Watching all the carnage, just...It made me ask if it was all worth it. Halfway through my journey, I realized...I should've stayed. Definitely should've stayed. I was making a change for the better in Vegas, but I guess I just wasn't smart enough to know that then."

"I saw a body count, but then I saw progress. But it was too late to go back...Just too painful to see the city I had just left, and expect them to welcome me back with open arms...So, I kept going, and made it here...And what do I do? One day into the city, I'm already a wanted criminal." It was silent between us. Just thinking about all the shit that just happened...And I couldn't stop laughing. I bellied over, laughing so much. He looked at me weirdly. "What's so funny?" "Hahaha!...Oh...Oh, nothing...Don't worry bout it...We're fucked, I mean...We need to go to jail NOW and I mean NOW! If we don't they'll kill us, but in jail, we'll have a chance. Bro, there is no other option. Literally no other. Now, come on. I'm going too, you're not doing it alone...Give me the gun." I grabbed the gun, taking it effortlessly from his hand. "Come on, Courier. Let's go."

Another punch, and I finally toppled over. My partner wasn't doing so well either, by the sound of it. Some more kicks and punches, even some spitting in there, and it seemed half of Diamond's security had taken a whack at us. "Alright, alright...That's enough." I could hear some mumbles, and most everyone started to pile out, except for two people. I weakly looked up, drool and blood coming from my mouth as I did. "Took quite a beating. Might've been worth it though." I could feel the person pull me up, and sit me against the cell. Looking across at my partner, in the cell I had called home the last couple of days, he was a bit worse for wear. Looking up at the man, he pulled something out from behind him. "Here's how this will work. I'm gonna tie both of you to the bars of the cell. And if one of you get loose, we kill you. If you try to get loose, we kill you. If you exit the cell, we kill you. Understand? Good, hold out your hand." I did as I was told, and felt the constraints being tied on my right hand. "Now," He began as he tied my hand to the bar. "This will let you roam the entirety of your cell, so you can still move freely in here. This other man will get the same treatment, mostly because he is an interest for the mayor." I tried to get a better look at the man. Middle aged, no helmet, mustache, hard gaze, black hair...Someone high ranking, from the uniform. He noticed my stare, and held out a hand. "Oh, sorry. I'm Banks. Davis Banks." He pointed at the person putting on Courier's restraints...A woman? "That's Scarlet...Doesn't say much, let's her hands do the talking." I caught her eye, and could see her features more prominently...And she was HOT! I mean, she gave Piper a run for her money. He noticed my surprise and chuckled. Special agent. Stays out of the spotlight most of the time...Now, let me tell you. If you need to be removed, we're the guys you call, so if you see my face ever again, know I'm not here for a friendly visit, okay?" I nodded, just hoping to take some rest after the fight. "Great. Your friend over there is a bit...Well, passed out, so I advise you get some rest. Got a big day tomorrow!"

"Fuck are you talking about?" He fake gasped. "You don't know?! It's your first day, as a professional hitman!" I started to panic. No, I didn't tell McDonough! "N-No!" "Yeah, buddy! It's gonna be a lot of fun! I promise...Now...Go to sleep? Kay?" He held my face, smiling and laughing at me. Then, with a quick...But very painful punch, I was out like a light.


	13. Chapter 13

"Wake up!" A stern, feminine voice broke me out of my force slumber. I awoke with a start, looking around for the source of the voice. I looked behind me, and saw the culprit. Piper. I would've been excited to see her, if...Well, last night hadn't happened. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" "What? What? I didn't do anything!" She looked at me like I was the cockroach of society. "Do you think I'm stupid? You killed two people last night!" "No!...That was him." I cocked my head towards the courier, who woke up from the noise. "Huh-What?" I shook my head, turning back to Piper. "Listen, ya boyfriend visited me a couple nights ago." "Yeah. Johnny. The one who you nearly killed." "Never been proved. Anyway, he beat the shit out of me, smashed my head against the ground, put me in Sun's care, and the guards didn't do a fucking thing. Then, I heard little Danny decided to hire that guy over there," I pointed back to the courier, who raised his hand. "Hi, nice to meet you!" She sighed, crossing her arms. "To come into my room and murder me." "And you two are all buddy-buddy now?" "Of course! I don't discriminate!" "Yeah, except against people wearing blue...Ironic really. The boy in blue hates the boys in blue." "Piper, please!" I grabbed her hand through the bars, but she pulled it away. "I thought you changed. I really did. You wouldn't just kill willy nilly anymore...But-" "I don't kill if it's not self defense-" "Do you need to kill in self defense, though? Did that guard need to be shot in the throat when he was unarmed? Did that one guard need to be hit so hard with a baseball bat, that it cracked his skull and killed him? No! So, you can plead self defense, but in reality, you're just trying to justify murder in the second." "Hey, to be honest, I didn't even know we still had first and second degree murder."

"Listen to me. If you really want to show me you love me, just...Stop. Please?" I frowned. I knew what I had to do, and I wasn't sure if I should tell her. "Piper, I-...McDonough." She looked confused. "What he do now?" "The shootout at the docks? He's gonna have me kill Trish's supplier, Marowski. After that, he wants me to kill Henry, Paul, and...Johnny boy." "...Wha-Why?" "Paul and Henry were working together on sticking up Latimer and Trish. After killing Marowski, he wants to kill Paul and Henry, so to tie up any loose ends to this whole shootout...Which means-" "That you and I are after..." She hit the bar, making an earsplitting ping. "Goddammit! And Johnny boy? Because you beat the shit out of him, right? He's gonna be coming after you, and I guess he can't have that, huh?" "...Yeah, actually." "If only you hadn't killed those two guards." "Look, I need help, Piper!" She looked at me, anger in her eyes. "I've been trying, but it gets harder and harder, as they lock you up tighter, and tighter...So, what do you need?" "I need you to go to the Sanctuary, tell Preston Garvey to come alone to the red rocket truck stop, and I also want you there as well. There, I'll tell both of you what I need to do." "What do you need to do?" "...I'm gonna takeover the city." It took a couple of seconds for that sentence to kick in. When it did, I couldn't tell if she was either going to laugh, or to scream at me. She resorted to grabbing my shirt, and pulling me into the bar. "Whoa, catfight!" "Shut up!" She stared dag-No, she stared fucking bullets at the Courier, who shrunk back down, trying to avoid her gaze. My face was being pressed a little too hard on the bars, which didn't help the current situation. "You're going to commit a coup?! A fucking coup! Okay, yeah, sure. One guy, gonna kill a whole police force." I raised a finger. "I actually could-" "I don't care if you could or not, who are you gonna have running the city when you're gone fighting the institute?!" I looked around, seeing the only other person within twenty feet of us. "Him! He was actually a mayor of a little city in Nevada...And by little city in Nevada, I mean every city Nevada." She looked skeptically at the Courier. He didn't seem to want to catch her eye, looking towards the ground. "...You? Wait, come closer." He wasn't in any position to deny, so he hesitantly walked over to me. She examined him closer, blue eyes, black hair, bout the same build as me. "...You're him...You're the courier!" He looked just as puzzled as I was. "How do you know him?" She looked at me as if I was the schmuck of Boston. "They told stories of him! Back when I was just ten, they told of a Courier who stopped a civil war, destroying the entire competition and obliterating the NCR in the process! Could have a hand to hand fight with a deathclaw and win, convinced an army to leave the most strategical chokehold in America, or else he would kill them all by himself-" "I did kill them all by myself."

"You were the most feared person in the west! How did you end up here?!" _Damn, if I were you, I'd just kill myself._ Why? _Obviously, she has the hots for this guy. I mean, look at the way she's looking at him! Moon eyes, dropped jaw, Take those fireworks you stole and light em in your mouth._ Fuck off...But maybe you're right... _What are you gonna do then?_ I'll take out an army if I need to, but for now let's just get this outta the way. He bowed his head. "Why, I didn't know I was such a celebrity. A pleasure to meet you, miss?" She held out her hand, the other still clasped in my shirt. "Wright. Piper Wright." Fuckin' James Bond over here. _Who?_ He grasped her hand, and... "Nonononononono, heh, haha..." I waved it off, nervously laughing. They both turned to me, as if they forgotten I was there. "Heh...Uh...Anyway, with the Courier's help, not that it's fucking needed, alright?!..." ... "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for-" "No, it's fine-I understand-." "Yeah...I'm gonna put this city under a fair ruler. I promise you that." She sighed, heavily. "It's what McDonough said..." "Did you just compare me to McDonough?" "Do what ya gotta do, I don't-...I'll get you Preston, but I'm not showing up. I don't need more bloodshed." "Sometimes, you gotta take a life to save a life-" "Yeah, save your own fucking life!" She turned, and started walking away. "I-I'm not selfish, Piper! Piper!...Argh!" I turned around, dropping onto my bed.

Courier patted me on the back. "Cheer up, kid." "I'm not a kid." "When I was seventeen, I owned the most important state in the west, had an army at my feet, went through hell to fight a fucking god, and robbed a myth, so yeah, to me, you're a fucking kid." I shook my head. "Courier...You WILL help me, right?" There was some silence... "..." "You're gonna leave as soon as you get the chance, won't you?" "..." I shook my head. "You fucking coward." "Hey, it ain't that simple-" "It really is, kid...Listen to me, you're gonna work with me, not because I ask, but because I know, deep down, you WANT this." "Want what?" "This city." I walked over to him. "Look me in the eyes, and tell me you don't want the power." He looked down, exasperated. "LOOK AT ME." ... I smiled. "That's what I thought."

We spent the night talking. Trying to convince him of how amazing it would be to be at the center of attention again. How amazing it must've felt having people bow down to you, and how you can feel it again...Oh yeah, I definitely got to him...But today is the day. Judgement day. The thing tightened around my throat, a bit uncomfortably. "What's this for?" "Oh, if you don't come back within two days, we'll blow this up. That's what it's for. And I'm the one with the key!" Banks held up the golden key, smiling like a kid on Christmas morning. "Thanks for the info." "No problem, bud...Hey Scarlet! You done?" He looked over his shoulder, but Scarlet was already at the entrance. He turned back to me, laughing. "A real catch, ain't she? Trying to get that, wish me luck!" He patted me on the shoulder, and walked out with Scarlet. I gave a little nod to Courier, and looked over the bed at our gear. "God, look at this medieval shit." "I know right? Might as well have given us clubs and a bow and arrow..." I held up the 38. "Didn't even give us six! Just five!" "They didn't even give me a gun!" I looked over at Courier, looking quizzically at the knife he was supplied. "This is not going to end well."

On the way out of Diamond city, I made eye contact with Danny...As did Courier. "You little shit." We both said in unison. Danny looked nervously at the two guards protecting him, and blocked our path to him. Courier and I stood up to the two armed men. "Listen, bud, I know you wanna protect your teammate, but in doing so, You're gonna get hurt, and I'm gonna get hurt, and if McDonough hears that his two prized assassins got beaten by two guards, you two fucks are gonna be dead within the next hour." "And that only will happen if you survive the fight. You couldn't fight one of us, let alone two of us. So, step aside, because if you don't, you're gonna be dead, whether you win or not." They didn't need to be told twice. They split faster than Moses splitting the ocean. They split faster two married celebrities. That left just Danny, standing there dumbfounded. He looked longingly at the little 10mm sitting on the counter. I could practically hear it calling his name. "Danny...Danny, pick me up, Danny..." I mocked him. His eyes looked east to west like he was looking for a train. "Do it. I dare you." Courier threatened. Before anything happened, I charged forward, Pinning Danny to the wall, as Courier seized the pistol. I held him by his throat, keeping my other hand up to his face. "You thought you could pull a fast one on us, huh?" "N-n-no, I d-" I used my finger to shush him. "Shh...Shh, it's alright, I don't blame you. Do we, Curry?" "No, no, not at all." "Now...Give me a good reason as to way we shouldn't blame you, or..." I let my hand trail down his face, to his chest, to his waist, and finally, to his crotch. I gripped his balls so hard, I could swear they would pop. "Ahhhh!" "Tell me or I'll use the pistol!" "I-I-I-I-" "I,I,I,I,I,I,I,I, speak fucking English, holy shit." Courier handed me the pistol. "I don't think he understood the question, maybe that'll convince him." "Good idea." I pulled the slide back, and held it level to his crotch. "After this, it's going right here." I pointed to his throat. As I prepared to pull the trigger, he stopped me. "WHOAWHOAWHOAH! Okay, I'm sorry! I was just trying to...To make myself useful!"

"What?" "All this time, 'Oh Danny, do this, Danny do that-' I got no respect, from my fellow guards to the citizens, they all just bullied me, put me on this fucking gate duty, and forgot about me...It's bullshit!" "So, you thought killing me would get your name known?" "...Well, yeah-" * **BAM*** "AHHHHHHHHH!" He grabbed at his now missing balls. I let him fall to the floor, watching him shrivel up and start crying at the pain. "YOU SHOT ME!" "Yeah, he did. And that was merciful. If it was me, I'd have busted it through your two front teeth...Come on, kid, leave this prick." "Ironic, really...Such a shame, too..." I walked over to the shocked guards, and the threw the 10mm at his chest. "If he dies, shoot him in the head, tell them it was a suicide."

Another one bit the dust. Collecting the caps off of him, I handed his weapon to the Courier. "Here. It'll help us in Goodneighbor." "Thanks." We started walking, through the shitty city, once known as who gives a fuck. "So, this place...What's it like?" "Eh. Pretty good. I had sex with Piper here, so I'd recommend it." "Interesting, interesting...Tough?" "Hell yeah, reminds me of the good ole days." "Trouble?" "Lot's. Guy got stabbed when we got there. By the mayor." "Wow! Sounds like my kinda place." "I'd live there if I could..." I patted Courier on the back. "Come on, we should get there before we get blown to kingdom come." "That's not something Danny's gonna be doing ever again." "Fuck yeah, Vigilante justice."


	14. Chapter 14

"Hotel Rexford. Great memories here." "Oh, yeah?" "Yeah." "...Alrighty, then. So, where can we find this guy?" I observed the lobby of the Rexford. Dark, and gloomy as always. Walking up to the receptionist, I noticed it was a young girl, about twenty-five, looking bored as her dark brown eyes watched me saddle up. "Hey, sweetheart, I'm looking for Marowski. Know where I can find him?" She scoffed, turning her attention to Courier, who was walking up beside me. "Uh, hello, what does that mean? I need to talk to Marowski, where can I find him?" She rolled her eyes, sighing as she turned back to me. "Listen, Romeo, if Marowski needed to talk to you, I would know. He would tell me. But he didn't. And you're definitely not one of those little gangsters that works for him-" "What makes you say that?" "...Are you serious? I have other guests to attend to, so could you please walk out back the way you came? You'd have better luck finding him out there than in here." "Listen, get Marowski down her-" "Kid! Why are we even trying this?" "What do you mean?" "This diplomacy shit. It worked for an army, but this is just one guy, let's just go in, fuck her." She gasped, looking offended. "Excuse me, gentlemen, don't make me have security escort you off the prem-" She was knocked back, splattering the wall behind her in blood. Two more shots, and she was no more. I watched as she hit the ground, mentally laughing at how he could just shoot someone like that. Still, three bullets left, shit. _Life is amazing isn't it?_ How? _In just three pulls of a trigger, an entire LIFE was just ended...Ain't it weird?_ ...I try not to think about it too much. We stood in the lobby, the other patrons looking at us in shock, watching as their receptionist was just gunned down in cold blood. "Hey! Who the fuck are you t-...Holy shit..." I looked up, seeing Marowski taking a step back from the balcony, and looking at his bodyguard. He gestured to us. "What are you waiting for?! Get him." "B-But-" "Go!" Marowski threw his cigarette off the balcony, and spat on the ground, as the guard rushed over to the stairwell.

"You rat fuck." "Now, I know you ain't talking to me." Courier looked between the two of us and threw his hands up. "That's your guy's beef." He rushed over to the stairwell, intercepting the terrified looking guard, easily pushing him back, and disappearing behind the wall. I turned my attention back to the scowling Marowski. "You know what you did to my business?" "Probably not." "With my number one dealer scared to death because of you, she stopped selling all together! Instead, she took the product, and started helping herself..." I shrugged. "And?" "She overdosed, moron! Taking my product with her! And the news of the docks got out, bloodbath, the triggermen are afraid to even travel near Diamond city because of that stunt!" "This is supposed to be bad for me?" "All I know, is that you are linked to that, and everyone knows, asshole! You're gonna fucking pay!" Reaching behind his back, he drew a pistol, but I already was aiming down the sights. I fired twice, but only one hit. His shoulder ripped open, blood leaking from his wound, but his other hand raised up, along with his revolver, firing, and grazing me in the side of the stomach, before falling backwards into his chair. I winced in pain, holding my side. One bullet left. Better hope he has less.

I hobbled my way to the staircase, feeling the warm sensation on my palm made my breathing start to get ragged and my heart rate speed up. "C-Courier!" I stepped over the dead body of Marowski's henchman, resting against the wall, before heading up the final steps. "Hold him down!" I threw off my coat, as the Courier grabbed at Marowski, holding him in his chair, and giving him a brutal headbutt, stopping his attempt at escape. I sat down in the opposite chair, trying to examine my wound. "He tag you?" "J-Just a scratch..." There was a moment's silence, as the Courier looked at me, then looked down. "I...I guess it's your time then..." I held the revolver in my hand. The weight seemed to increase since the bullet grazed me. Marowski looked at me with genuine fear in his eyes. "Scared?" "No...Excited, because...If I die...You know what happens, don't you?" "Probably not." "F-Freddy...He's gonna tell the whole gang about what you did...And they're gonna tell the whole city...And they're gonna tell the mayor." "Y-...Your point?" His fear faded...It seemed more like mischief than anything else. "He's gonna take you down, and if he doesn't, his city will do it for him, whether he likes it or not...An innocent receptionist, first day on the job, too...Plus, Goodneighbor's saint. All gunned down in less than forty seconds...So, shoot me. But remember, in reality, I've already won...Ha...haha..." He stopped rubbing his head, instead spreading his arms, challenging me to shoot him. "Do it! Kill me!" I looked towards the Courier, who seemed indifferent to this whole thing. "Fuck it. Do what you think is right." What I think is right, huh? "What is the best option here, kid?! Taking a drug dealer off the streets, or leaving him there, poisoning the youth with chems?!" Marowski cracked a smile. "C'mon...Do it...Please." I smiled, alongside with him. "I aim to please..." I lifted the revolver, aiming it right between his eyes...I sighed, as I pulled the hammer back...And exhaled again, as I pulled the trigger.

"You shouldn't have killed him." "Fuck off." "Hahaha...What the hell is gonna happen when we get back there?" "I don't know, but we're gonna need to get to the Truck Stop and meet up with my friend, Preston. He'll help us." "Man, I hope so..." "You in?" "Don't got anything better to do." "Well, okay then." We continued our walk through the run down, filthy streets outside of Goodneighbor. Gonna be a long walk...

We stepped into the stop, noticing Preston leaning over the counter. Seeing me, he clasped my back, and gave me a nod of respect. "Garvey. This is Courier. He's gonna help us with this thing of ours." He eyed up the Courier, each one studying the either. "Courier, huh? Too afraid to use ya real name?" Courier half-chuckled at that. "I don't know how old you are, but obviously I'm more experienced if you think using your real name is a good idea." "Not even about experience. Triggers don't care about how much experience the user has when they get pulled." "And my piece has enough experience to know that I could kill both of you in a matter of seconds if you two don't shut up and listen." The men settled down, and I laid out my plans. "So, Preston...The minutemen." "I'm familiar." "They need weapons, ammunition. And I can get those. I'll have it delivered by tomorrow. And I gotta have a talk with one of my friends..."

"Ah!" I was thrown to my knees in front of the man. I could've killed every single person in this room, but I needed them to feel in power. Helped negotiations go smoother. "Well, well, well. I thought we'd never meet again." "Neither did I...At least, I hoped not." My escort piped up. "He walked up to us with his hands up. Didn't put up a fight or nothing. Wanted to talk to you." "Oh, really?" "Yeah...I'm sure you don't get many second dates." He laughed. "You'd be smart to think that. So, you wanna talk, let's talk. I don't get many friendly visits, so I assume you want to talk...Business."

"And after that, Courier's gotta say hello to some old friends. "

"This is a very stupid idea." "You're not the one with a bomb on your neck, so just do your fucking job." He sighed. "Yes, Paladin." I looked over at the courier, he was fuming at the recruit's incompetence. "You fuckers strapped one on me for a week, you sure must know how to disable it."

"I know a couple people there, sure." "And after that..."

"Hey!'' The annoyed guard walked back into our room. "Yeah?" "Look!" I walked over to where the Courier was fake sleeping, grabbed him by the shirt, and threw him on the ground. I started wailing on his face, as the guard rushed over to the entrance. "Hey! Break it up!" As soon as I heard the jingles of keys, I knew it was time to act. He stood above us, and grabbed me by the shoulders, trying to throw me off. The Courier stood up, and charged at me, pushing both me, but mostly the guard, into the walls of the cell. "Oof!" He slid down, and I took that time to muffle his mouth, as I slammed his head full force against the cell again. Grabbing the keys, and the gun, we unlocked our restraints, and headed into the main room of the lockup. There were about ten guards, standing around, bullshitting, and telling exaggerated stories. I gave a slight nod. We couldn't simply sneak by them...

"I made a fail-safe bag stashed in Kellogg's hiding place. I should have enough ammunition to give you guys."

"This shit can supply a small army like the minutemen." "You sure? I don't want the day to come, and we're all standing around throwing our guns at the enemy." "Well, you could throw up some grenades and hit them like baseballs."

"I'll make it back to Sanctuary, and we'll start the assault." "Yeah, okay, so what should I tell them, that we're just gonna go take down an entire city, and become the new power?" I smiled, looking between courier and Preston. "Yes...That's exactly what you should tell them...And if you don't tell them, I will. This city will be ours. It will be mine, courier's, Piper's, and yours. And nothing will stop me. Nothing will stop us. Not the Brotherhood...Not the Raiders...Not Goodneighbor...I'll make sure the minutemen get the fame they deserve, Preston...And they will recognize us as their leaders." I looked outside the window, out into the desolate wasteland. "It's chess on their checkers board. Mobsters vs Gangsters. The good guys vs the bad guys...It'll be World War three, when I go after the Institute, and I'll make them pay, for what they did to my wife...Now...We have work to do...Don't we?"


	15. Chapter 15

Man makes plans, and god laughs. Apparently, the collar put around our necks had a fail-safe, just in case they were deactivated. Looks like McDonough's fairy brigade didn't like the idea of them coming off. From what we heard, the explosion, which by some miracle was delayed, killed every single person within a twenty foot radius. We felt the explosion rumble the ground, and immediately knew we would be in deep shit, should we talk to the brotherhood down the road. But what're ya gonna do. Courier and I stood side by side, as we watched the Minutemen switch out their laser rifles and fucking zappers and blasters, for real weapons. ''Attention!" The small band of soldiers gathered around the middle of the town, to the Voice of Preston. Me being Lieutenant, _and the only one worthy of a fucking mention in this group of shitheads._ I was gonna say that, but yeah you're right. Preston was the only other one with some form of authority, but it wasn't hard to convince him to let me be the General, or Leader of this Faction. Because of this, the Hierarchy was from high to low, Me, Preston, Courier, Sturges, and below that, nada. I leaned over to Preston. "How many?" He sighed. "Seventy, give or take." "Oh, fuck me." The Courier threw his hands up. "Calm down, don't start-" "How? How the fuck am I supposed to calm down when we're leading an attack on a city with seventy people?! There's at least two hundred guards in there!" "But they aren't fighting for glory!" I looked over dramatically to the infantry, raising my hand, like a messiah. "They're fighting for their lives! But us?! We are fighting for honor! For Fame! And for the liberation, of all the citizens oppressed by the tyrannical mayor, known as McDonough! History is written by the victors, what will the wasteland's say?...Now, for the entirety of the assault, you are all under my command. If I am to somehow die, that command will be handed to Preston, and the Courier, respectively. If something is to happen, in which all three of us die, I give each and every one of you, permission to fire on every, goddamn thing that moves. Is that clear." "Yes, sir!" "I know for a fact, that we will utterly destroy our enemy. Why? Because, we are the fucking minutemen! We started this shit with three people! And now look at us! We are the most fearsome army, this side of Diamond city!" _Also the only army-_ Quiet. "...Now, I know that some of you, probably most of you, are scared. And therefore, I ask you. What is there to be scared of?...Dying? I faced death and survived more times than I can count. I've been shot at, stabbed, beaten, frozen, strangled, mangled, sliced open, and tortured, and look at me...Do I look like someone scared of death?" "No, sir!" "Well, then, are you scared of death?!" "No, sir!" "Good! Each person in this battalion is a brother to you. So, no matter what, you have each other's backs. No man left behind, you hear?!" "Yes, sir!" "Men, will we show those diamond city bastards, what a real army looks like?!" "Yes, sir!" "Now, if you have the utmost faith in this battalion, let me hear you!" My speech worked, somehow, as the squadron cheered and howled their support. _How the fuck did they believe in that?_ Preston calmed them down, and started talking. "The plan is simple. Wait for the signal, and then do whatever you can to take out McDonough..." Preston whispered into my ear. "Who else?" "Uh, Scarlet, and Banks, who they'll know em when they see em. Also, if they see a hulking mass of muscle and flesh, that's Johnny boy, take him out."

It was around ten, and we were all lounging about, relaxing, as I gave them a week to prepare before the assault is a go. It wasn't really a party, some were heading in, there was no music, and the idea of death was still fresh in their minds. But they were still talking and shooting the shit with their friends, and having a bit of a good time. I, for one, retreated behind my old house, hanging out in my backyard. Leaning against the house, I found it hard to believe just what was gonna happen. Almost a month ago, I was frozen, and nearly shot to death by a crazy merc, and now I'm a Soldier again, leading an attack on a city, in the ruins of a baseball stadium, two hundred years after world war three. ''Lieutenant." "Fuck!" I dropped my drink, startled, as I whipped to my left and saw Preston. "Jesus, Preston, you scared the shit out of me." "Sorry for startling you, but there's someone who said you might wanna see them. When you are done, tomorrow we must go over rations, in the-" "Event we have to hold out for more than a day, trust me Garvey, it'll be done in no time." He walked away, and out from the side of the house, Piper walked into view.

For a second, it was peaceful. Silent. Not a care in the world, as I finally stared into the eyes of the woman I loved, without the bars of a metal cell impeding my vision. She slightly smiled, at my shocked expression. "Long time no see, eh Blue?" She said in her adorable voice. I stood up from my leaning position, and embraced her, lips locking like she was the first woman I've seen in years. For what felt like an hour we were stuck in the kiss, not that I found anything wrong with it, the lost passion of being separated for fucking weeks, coming out in the kiss, until finally we pulled apart to breathe. The cold Boston weather didn't even affect me anymore, the warmth of our closeness giving me a blissful feeling. My forehead lightly rested against her's, and she chuckled softly. "That was one for the books." "H-How did you-" "Find you? I knew you were gonna have the minutemen with you on the attack, and to be quite honest, it's not much of a secret where they hide their comic books." I closed my eyes, smiling. "I'm...Glad you're here with me...I really needed this, before...Yeah.'' "Eh, don't mention it...After that stunt you pulled at the lockup, I figured it was only a matter of time." "You're not mad?" "No...I wanted to see you too...I was-'' Her voice cracked, and I opened my eyes to see a tear forming at the corner of her eye. ''I was positive, one day, I would be hearing that...You died, in that cell...And I wasn't sure...E-everyday I would get up, and hold my breath, hoping that there wouldn't be a knock on the door, from Nick or your friend, or Preston, or whoever, that the g-...guards got to you...I know, after all we been through, I just...Couldn't bear to be without you now...We're gonna help the commonwealth get back to it's former glory, and I just...Don't wanna do it without you..." I laughed lightly, wiping away the tear softly from her face. "Piper, I'm an Italian from Boston, don't ya know we'll fight tooth and nail with the grim reaper if we have too?" She smiled, a sad smile. "Keep laughing at Death, one day Death's gonna laugh back." "Well, I hope Death doesn't have a good sense of humor...I thought you would show at the truck-" She looked down, and interrupted me. "I know, but...The guards have been hassling me and Nat the entire time you guys left. I needed to keep her safe, so I couldn't make the meeting." I smiled, as a thought crossed my mind. "Hey, what do you think...If you and Nat...Maybe, came here." She looked confused for a second. "What do you mean?" "You know, like...Residents." She looked taken aback for a second, and then started chuckling. "My, my, blue, aren't you forward." "You would know." "...I'm not saying the thought hadn't crossed my mind...And it would be a good idea to get her out before my little army starts their attack..." "Hey! We're not that little...T-That isn't...Isn't an innuendo, right." She smiled, teasingly. "Deeeefinitely not, blue..."

What sounded like an argument, about to turn into a fight, woke me from my slumber. Yelling, and expletives could be heard, and I was afraid some of the minutemen were going at it. Piper had her head on my chest, still sleeping, smiling serenely, and breathing softly. I smiled, planted a soft kiss on her forehead, and carefully dragged myself out of bed, putting on my usual attire, and walking out the door to investigate the commotion. Near the bridge, Preston, and three of his soldiers were having a heated exchange with two people. Walking closer it was apparent that the two people, were in fact, Scarlet and Banks. Cursing myself for not bringing a bigger gun, I finally caught up to them, thinking about the revolver in my waistband. "Ah, there's the man of the hour!" Banks threw his hands up like he was offering a hug, and Scarlet stood behind him, forever silent, and relaxed, yet, from her posture, I knew one word and she would attack in an instant. I crossed my arms. "What's this about Banks?" He scoffed. "What's this about? What's this about?! This is about how two of my hitmen, I hear, have gone awol, and almost started a war with Goodneighbor! I wanna know, why the fuck the brotherhood are coming to my city, disturbing my citizens, about an attack on their group!...I mean...Not that we weren't planning on it, but this is different. And I don't know what happened to your boyfriend, or even how you survived the fucking bomb blast we thought would kill the both of you. I'd wish to keep chatting but, if you two are finished throwing baseballs back and forth and playing catch, or blackjack, or whatever you Vegas faggots do, I suggest you come with me and my partner here, before I lose my temper, and clear this settlement out." "No. Our deal is through, I killed Marowski, that was our instructions, I didn't get a paper pamphlet giving me specific details, and side quests." "No, it's not through. What if we pay Piper a visit, huh? Think that'll get to ya?" "Touch her, and I'll fucking-" A gunshot echoed in the air, and Bank's head snapped back.

Banks stood still for a second, head down, blood pouring from his wound. He looked up at me, showing a massive hole through his left cheek, his tongue visible, and almost torn in half. It was clear the blast came from some sort of laser rifle, as the skin around the entry wound was charred, and the sound it made of the laser burning the flesh as it went through. He stumbled back, still holding his head, and fell over the side of the bridge, making a sickening crunch, no doubt breaking something, and I was blown away. By how Anti-climatic his death was. Scarlet, barely reacting to the death of her teammate, pulled a blade out from behind her back, and rushed towards Preston. I grabbed at my pistol but it was too late. She easily dispatched the three soldiers, and was making quick work of Preston by the time I even got my finger on the trigger and had taken aim. I fired, but she was faster. She dodged the bullet, and threw her knife towards me, impaling me in the side, and I fell to the ground in blistering pain, while the revolver flew out of my hand. It felt like a doctor giving me my flu shot, extremely incompetently. She was on top of me in an instant, pulling the blade out, and preparing to jam it down onto my face. I grabbed at the knife, and we struggled, as I slowly pushed the knife away from my face, but unfortunately for me, she let me push the blade away, pulled it out of my grasp, and stabbed me in the chest several times. Adrenaline took over, as I was now fighting for my life. I could hear the footsteps and gunshots of my comrades trying to assist me, but I already had it taken care of. Giving one last bit of strength, I threw her from her top mount, over my fucking body. Basically, I picked up and threw a woman several feet, whilst lying down. I grabbed at her throat, picking her head up and slamming it back down on the ground, but her will seemed to go on forever, as she retrieved her knife, and proceeded to keep jabbing me in the chest, causing me to start bleeding like a pig, all over the fucking both of us, until I let my guard down for a second, and she stuck the blade Centimeters from my jugular, into the nape of my neck.

It wasn't like I hadn't felt pain like that before. It was more the shitty angle she had stabbed me, but I had been shot in my neck during the war, and managed to hold on. If I had known just how close she had gotten to killing me right then and there, I probably would've gave in to the pain. But I didn't. I threw a fist straight down on top of her, stunning her for just a second, but it was all I needed. I dove, wildly, for Preston's fallen gun, and managed to grab it, turn, and fire it straight into the face of the unsuspecting merc, giving me an extra coating of blood on my already dripping face. I dropped the gun, and laid back, on the chest of my now severely injured friend, wiping pieces of pink brain matter from my forehead. If I had been anymore tired, I probably wouldn't have felt it, but somehow I did. It was the slightest inhale of breath, Preston took. I smiled slightly to myself, knowing that the bastard still had some fight left in him. I looked down at my chest. Blood. Fucking. Everywhere. My heart started to pump faster, my arms and legs started to grow numb, and I felt like I was gonna throw up. Considering how drenched my back felt, Preston didn't get off any easier. Finally, my allies managed to catch up to me, after what felt like an hour. I could barely make out the blurred vision of Courier, and another man I didn't identify. Slowly, a crowd began to form around us, as the bloodbath was laid out right in front of them. Before I finally passed out from the blood loss, I could distinctly hear the voice that I grew to love. I mean, it wasn't that hard, no one else was talking. "Oh my god...Oh my god...What the fuck happened?!"

I opened my eyes, just barely, noticing how tight my chest felt. I looked down. I was topless, but there was multiple cloths wrapped around my torso, and another holding my neck in place. I lay still, not that I had much of choice, and took in my surroundings. It was one of the houses, which looked to have been turned into a clinic of some sort, multiple stimpacks and med-x laid on a table out of my reach to the right. To my left, was my satchel, my revolver, and my rifle, neatly laid next to each other. By the door, in a chair, I could make out who was obviously Courier, sleeping, and sprawled out lazily. I opened my voice to speak, but felt an immediate stab of pain, almost worse than the actual stab, and dissolved into a very painful wheezing and coughing fit. Courier, unsurprisingly, heard me, and rushed over to bring me a bottle of purified water. He opened the bottle, and tipped it downwards, enabling me to drink without sitting up, but that went down almost as hard. He looked at me sympathetically, and closed up the bottle, placing on the counter with my weapons. "So, that was one fantastic shit-show, huh?" He looked over at me, and hurriedly held up a hand. "Don't! Actually answer that." He walked back over and inspected my bandages. "Ya look, uh...Better than the other two...Oh, and Preston." He stood up, walking to the door, and leaving the room. He was gone for about ten seconds, before he came back in, and injected me with a stimpack. I could feel the euphoria, travelling from my arm to the rest of my body. "Uh, doc said that while he will live, or that he most likely will live, he definitely won't be able to make the raid..." He looked away. "He also said, that you wouldn't either." I shook my head, or kinda shook my head, trying my hardest not to irritate my wound. "I know, I know, but when you think about it, this is a good thing! We'll have more time to train our troops, more time to gather weapons and ammo..." I swallowed hard. "...P-Pipe-" I fell into another coughing fit, and he put a hand on my forehead. "Still on fire...The doc had to operate on you for a while, trying to repair any organs that crazy bitch had ripped...You have the luck of the devil, you know that right? Twenty-seven stab wounds, and not a punctured organ in sight, you lucky bastard." He chuckled, slapping my shoulder. "But, uh...Oh yeah, When he was getting ready to treat you, Piper would not leave the room. She just wouldn't, she stood here, holding your hand, silent and immobile. When we tried to lead her to the door, she absolutely leveled one of the recruits, like I never saw someone get punched so hard in my life. She only trusted me to take her away, and she told me that if she couldn't stay here, she needed to go to diamond city, to get her sister, and bring her here."

I just felt this rage, starting to build up slightly. He noticed my facial features, and looked confused. "W-what, what's wrong?" I clenched my fist, and tried to come to terms with that information. She literally wandered into now dangerous, enemy territory, without me, Preston, or courier. He seemed to catch on to what he just said, and realized his mistake. "Oh, n-no, I mean, she's probably gonna be back in a couple minutes, she left an hour ago, she should be fine...I mean, she had a gun with her, in case she ran into trouble..." It took all my willpower to calm down. "Sh-...Shoot..." "Shooter?" I slowly nodded. He sighed. "...Well, it wasn't me, Preston, or his three troops. Truth is, we're still trying to find out who shot, and why they did." I closed my eyes, and sighed myself. This is fanfuckingtastic isn't it. We should throw a party! "One last thing, before I'll let you rest...Banks...Got away." I didn't take in his words immediately, and just stared at him. I slowly shook my head. "Im..." "Impossible, Yeah I know, he couldn't have gotten far, doubt he's even still alive, I sent some scouts to follow the blood trail, and we're still waiting for their return." He talked a bit more before giving a goodnight, and leaving me alone.

I woke up, sometime later, feeling a bit better after my rest, but my neck was still killing me. I was able to move my body, without hurting myself to much, but it was almost impossible moving my neck without pain. If you had...Medical bag, maybe...Super stimpack, this wouldn't be happening right now. Thanks for the advice, I'll go buy one right now.

For two, long, boring days, I laid. Piper never came back. Courier and the doctor visited me most of the time, and I looked to be making an amazing recovery, considering my injuries. I was still hospitalized, never having any idea how Piper was doing, but I was still hopeful. I was getting better to the point where I could stand up and, slowly, walk. I still had to condition my neck, hopefully turning it back to normal, and my voice finally returned, albeit a bit scratchy, but it returned. I sat down in the living room of my old home, being comforted by codsworth, who was still alive during everything that happened. "Sir, you have no idea how worried I have been for you, ever since you left I heard you've been shot left and right!" I took a sip of purified water, which is the most amazing thing you could possibly taste in the wasteland. "Yeah, well...I'll live." "You know, I thought you'd be more angry at the young sniper, but I haven't even heard one lashing at him." I looked weirdly at him, taking another sip. "What sniper?" "The young gentlemen who shot the hitman sent to retrieve you. I'd only saw the fellow for two days before the incident which claimed the lives of three of our soldiers." I laid my water down. "You saw who shot them?!" "Yes. You don't know?" "No! Who is he, where is he?!" "I don't know personally, but I think Preston might...Yes, Preston might know...Master, you won't do anything...Drastic, correct?" I stood up, walking through the filthy, barren house, and stood in the doorway. "If I do, just know that he started it."

"Courier! Courier!" I called out in the streets of our settlement. "Courier came rushing out of the workshop/house that Sturges had been operating in, building some sort of contraption that would allow us to process our food much faster. "Yeah?'' He wiped his hands on a towel, and stuffed it in the pocket of his coat. I walked up to him, leaning in and whispering into his ear. "I know I should probably ask Preston about this, but Codsworth just told me about the sniper who hit Banks. Do you have the vaguest clue as to who that would be?" He whistled, looking up in thought. "...No, but there's not many. We have to remember, anyone could've hit that shot, sniper or no-" "It had to have been fifty-sixty yards, perfect headshot, I'm betting sniper, or at least a marksman." He nodded slowly. I'll ask around, see what I could find, and if you want to ask Preston...Don't. Sick as a dog, no one knows why, Doc is there like every five minutes, don't know what'll happen." "Fuck...Wha-" "Hey!" We both turned, seeing a man, a bit on the short side, with only the memory of hair on his head, and a full grown beard. He was running up to us, full sprint. "Who the hell is he?" "I don't know." He caught up to us, knelt down, catching his breath, and stood back up. "W-We found the shooter...He's over by...The giant fuckin' tree on the outskirts...Four guys holding him, hurry!" I looked back towards Courier. "Well, this is gift wrapped."

We got there in ten seconds flat, adrenaline pumping through both of us, as we flew to his location, just waiting to see the asshole who messed everything up. He was on his knees, two guys pointing their weapons at him, two others conversing. One of the two talking, saw us coming, and warned the other four. We walked up to the man, who had his head down, and his hands high above his head. He looked up, studying us. Courier spoke first. "...Stand." The man slowly stood, the two recruits holding weapons backing off slightly. I looked towards the other two. "How'd you find him?" "Well, shit, he just came up to us and said he did it! Didn't struggle or nothing." I nodded looking towards the man. He was noticeably shorter than the Courier and I, maybe by five-nine at most. He wore an average beard, not too little, not too much, but a beard nonetheless. His hair was fixed nicely, combed to the right, and propped up a bit. His eyes were a deep brown, staring back at mine, and although his features suggested age, and experience, it also gave off a boy-ish, impression. He seemed nervous, glancing around side to side. "Who are you, Kid?" He paused for a second, in thought. He chuckled, and then answered. "They call me a lot of things... Kid, James, Nero, two sixteen... Call me LW. LW is fitting." Courier glanced at me for a sec, and asked, "Are you the sniper?" LW looked at me, and looked back at the courier. "Y-Yes." Courier nodded, and then continued. "How old are you?" "Twenty-two, sir..." I piped up. "And why did you spark the mess that is now plaguing the settlement. His eyes flashed with regret, as he quickly tried to explain himself. "I-I didn't mean it, sir, I just saw you were in trouble, and the guy started yellin' and I thought...I-I don't know." It was only then did I realize that the kid had a slight Irish accent. Interesting. "You a marksman, LW?" He didn't answer, and I thought he didn't even hear me, until he nodded. "Trained with the best, sir." I smiled, and tilted my head. "Who's the best?" "NCR sniper, they call him Boone. Could hit a fucking apple off the top of ye head from three hundred meters!" He grinned in recollection, as the courier spoke again. "Boone? You said Boone? Are you from Vegas?" The kid shook his head. "Technically I'm from a vault, but I'm originally from Washington. Went on a mission when I was fifteen...Took out the fucking enclave." "Enclave?" I looked towards Courier, and he shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He turned his attention back to the kid. "You caused the explosion? At fifteen? You took down an army?" "Now, Now, Curry, it's alright. You were his age, and we all know you took down two by yourself!" The entire group chuckled at the Courier's accolade. "Yeah, I guess so... So, tell me kid, Washington to Boston...Long fucking way." "It was... Met only two other men that also...Anyway, I got down a month ago. Wandered for a bit, and found this place. I decided to just settle here, make myself useful." "Yeah, you sure fucking did..."

"What do we do with him?" "I don't know." "Yes, you do, you always do, no matter how shitty it is, you always have an idea. You got us arrested at one fucking point." "That I did." I started polishing the dusty rifle, loading a magazine into it and heading back outside, Courier in tow. "You thinking we let him stay?" "If your boy's as good as this kid tells me, we'll see." The courier and I traveled over to the hill just past the bridge, placed four plates, taped to four sharp sticks, into the ground, so the plates were partially revealed over the hill. We walked back over to practically the other side of Sanctuary, the furthest point where the hill is still in distance. I took the little Rugar 10/22 in my hands, and handed it to the blindfolded Kid. An entire crowd gathered to watch the feat, to see whether the kid was actually capable of pulling it off. I placed the gun in LW's hands, and told him, "Now listen, I'm gonna take this blindfold off, you're gonna turn around, and fire at the plates on the hill in this distance, understand? You have eight seconds." I patted him on the back, and walked over the courier. "On three!" The kid nodded. "One!" The kid gripped his rifle, whispering to himself. "Two!" The crowd started to quiet down, all eyes on the kid, except for his own. "Three!" The blindfold was off his head in a swift upwards motion, as he turned himself around, already aiming down the sights, and firing into the distance. I had taken the liberty of watching through my own rifle, one with a scope on it, as opposed to the kid's, just to see if he actually hit something. First shot, and the plate erupted, glass flying in all directions. "One!" He fired a second after the call, hitting the second one with ease. "Two!" There was a moment's hesitation, before the third shot rang out. We were so far, you could actually see the bullet travel. It hit the plate directly in the middle. "Three! Stop! Don't shoot the last one!" The kid lowered his weapon, looking at me confused. "This one's mine." I pulled the thirty-eight from my holster, and aimed down the sights. Scoffs and snickers rose from the crowd, as I hand the rifle to the courier to look. "Bet you one hundred caps he misses." "Yeah, he will." "Definitely. Three hundred meters with a fucking revolver." Courier looked out of his sights for a minute. "I'll take you up on that offer." The three miscreants talking in the crowd stared at him in disbelief. "Really? You think he'll hit that." "Two hundred." "Huh?" "Two hundred he makes it." The one who started the idea slightly laughed, and shook Curry's hand. "Your funeral."

"Three!" I looked down at the ground, hand above my pistol, waiting for the call. "Two!" I remembered what my training taught me. "If you shoot at the target and it misses, try shooting again. Look down the sights, adjust for the distance, bring in physics, you guys learned physics? We like physics here. See that thing on the sight of the gun, line it up with the target and fire, and if it's too hard, get out and go fuck yourself." I loved my coaches. "One!" I pulled the revolver from my holster, turned, and immediately zeroed in on the blurry circular object on the hill. Time slowed down, but I was just speeding up. I exhaled, waiting for all the air to leave my lungs, and in the split-second that it lined up perfectly with the target, I fired. The bullet traveled, and I closed my eyes, praying that the shot would would find it's mark, and that my friend wouldn't have to cough up two hundred caps. It felt like an age when Courier put down the rifle, looking into the crowd, and announced, "...Hit."

"First mission, we're getting her back, I don't where the fuck she is, how she got there, whatever, we're getting her back, and we're getting her back now." LW, Courier, and Dogmeat had all followed me back into my house, as Codsworth... Hovered, the nearest to me on my left, Courier to my right, Dogmeat on my lap, and LW on the far end of the table. "What if we go there and she's not even there?" "She will be!" I answered Courier. "She's Piper Wright, she's not dead, and she's obviously not coming back without our help. LW, you're new here, so to be quite honest, I don't know if you'll be able to handle yourself." He shook his head. "No, boss, trust me. I can do it. I've been in plenty of gunfights." "So have I, and while I'm a god with the pistol, my companions most of the time aren't as elite. Not to brag." "Heavens, Sir! This plan is just...Barbaric! Surely, there must be some way to get Miss Wright out without having a full on gunfight!" 'No one is planning to, Cods. We're just planning what to do if it happens, that's all." Dogmeat whimpered on my lap, looking up at me, and obstructed my vision. I stroked from his head to his back, trying to calm him down. "I know I haven't been here for a while boy...I'm sorry, but I promise I'll be back soon, and I'll take you everywhere after that!" I grinned from ear to ear as Dogmeat barked happily. Courier tapped on the table, and looked at me. "Three of us enter, kill at least fifteen guards, and retrieve Piper, ten to one odds has been tortured and most likely can't walk, leave through a town where we're pretty widely hated, and then travel all the way back to Sanctuary as McDonough and his goons plan their counter attack, right?" I scratched the side of my head, and took a drink of the water I'd been sipping on. "Yep, thanks for summarizing."


	16. Chapter 16

"I don't understand the reason why we can't just start the assault now. We have everything we need!" "Oh yeah, everything, but Preston, the raiders, morale is pretty low, and we don't have Piper or Nat. But no, you're right, we have everything." "Smartass." We arrived at the Intercom. This would easily be the worst part of the operation, since we killed Danny, and I have no idea who'd be running it now. LW was nervously checking his ammunition, and then comically failing to put the ten round magazine back in, while the Courier seemed more irritated to the whole situation, folding his arms and leaning against the wall. _What're ya gonna say?_ No clue. I held my hand on the button. "U-uh, hello?" There was a short cackle, and a male voice started speaking. "Yeah?" Gravelly, someone middle aged. "...Yeah...Wha-what's...I mean, can I come in?" There was a slight pause, before he started speaking again. "Uh...Hold on..." He stopped talking for a second, then came back talking with a flow that suggested he was reading something. "Okay, are you or have you ever been, a synth, an agent of the institute, a raider, a cold blooded murderer, a warm blooded murderer, a synth again, what most would consider a bad guy, or a red?" "Oh yeah, because if I was any of those fucking things, I'd j-'' I took a deep breath, exhaled, and started talking. "No, I'm not. Can I come in?" "How many are ya?" "Three." "You live here?" I looked at Courier. He shrugged at the question, so I turned back to it. "...N-no...I'm-...We're traders!" I smiled at the memory of my first meeting with Piper. "Where from?" "Quincy." I crossed my fingers,as the intercom was silent for a moment. LW's holster rode high on his hip, and his hand hovered over the grip of his pistol. Courier seemed just as anxious, resting his rifle on his shoulder, looking around at the guards near their post. About five seconds later, the voice cut in. "Alright. Stand back, I'm about to open it up." I sighed, relieved. But now, the stakes were high. The giant blockade lifted, and our trio entered. We had donned normal clothes, hats, jackets, sunglasses, and brought along a heavy bag filled with supplies, and three diamond city security outfits, Courier and I had taken during our escape. I raised the bag at the two guards, and held my head down, hiding my face from them. "You three stay outta trouble in there, alright?" The gravelly voice followed us. "Oh, don't worry, bud. We will."

We were able to get through the entrance without any trouble, and we made a beeline for the Publick Occurrences. "So, LW, you ever been here before?" Courier asked the kid. "No, I haven't. Haven't been in Boston for too long." "Ah, well don't worry you're not missing anything." We stood by the door of the house, making sure nobody was looking, and since it was almost midnight, most everybody was either drinking or sleeping, so there were mostly just drunkards and guards who weren't really paying attention to their surroundings. Stepping inside the house, I placed the bag on the couch, and walked over to Nat's room. I had removed the glasses and hat, so she could recognize me, and maybe tell me what happened to Piper. The kid was passed out, sound asleep, with a blanket wrapped tightly around her, to protect her from the cold interior of the house. I knelt down and gently shook her, and watched as her eyes slowly opened. "Hey, kiddo...Remember me?" Her eyes widened as she realized who I was, and immediately sat up, her dark brown eyes scanning around the room. "M-mister? Blue?! But if you're here, where's Pi-" "Yeah, that's actually what I needed to ask you about."

Over the course of ten minutes, Nat had packed up her, along with Piper's stuff, and explained to me the basic details of Piper's dilemma. She arrived at Diamond city, where she was held up right outside the Occurrences. The guards placed her under arrest, something she wasn't too fond of. She actually managed to fend off some of the guards, using the experience in hand to hand combat her and I needed throughout our journeys, and went through about five of them before they took her down. According to Nat, though, she wasn't being held in the lockup. She was instead transported to McDonough's office, for some nefarious reason. We now had a chance to take down the mayor, as well as get our girl back. At the house, the three of us had equipped our Security disguises, and led Nat to Valentine's, explaining what was about to happen, and what I needed him to do for Nat. He agreed to hold Nat until we could safely escort her and Piper out of the city, and I even offered to get Valentine out too, something he refused. We made our way to the elevator from the entrance up to McDonough's office, and stood in the lift as we waited for our floor. I looked over to LW. "Now listen kid, you shoot the guy in the faggot hat, and anyone that looks like us. DON'T shoot the woman in the red coat, or the secretary. Kay?" "But, how will I know that when I'm shooting the guys who look like us, I won't shoot you?" Courier leaned over to LW. "Cause we'll all be standing next to each other. Plus, the height. I'm Six-two, he's six-one/two, so shoot that guys that roughly aren't that height." "But what if they are that height-" "Alright, you know what? Don't shoot any guards. Shoot McDonough, but don't shoot a guard, just punch him or something, and if you hit us, we'll tell ya." The doors opened.

Four guards. One Mayor. And one REALLY pissed off Reporter. McDonough and his posse jumped back when they saw me. "Oh! Uh, is there any problems?" We all looked at each other, and I nudged LW to speak, fearing that if Courier or I was to speak, McDonough would recognize me, and there would be a VERY bloody gunfight. The kid immediately started stuttering, and I wondered if I should just pull my gun now. ''Uh, um...No, we just heard...That...Well, one of the security said you might need an escort!" McDonough eyed us suspiciously. "You mean to accompany the one I already have?" LW stood there for a second. "...Yes?" McDonough scoffed, but Courier held a hand up. "What the kid means, is the girl is a danger to us, I mean she went through the last guards like paper, so we just thought a tiny bit more security would be needed in case of...Problems, if you know what I mean. She is a troublemaker, am I right?" McDonough chuckled. "That she is." Piper was being held by two average sized guards, and tried to squirm out of their grip every once in a while. She had a small cut on her cheek, and generally just looked worn down and tired. She smiled, wearily, and looked towards McDonough. "Or maybe it's the fact that your security is so damn weak they couldn't take out one girl by-" "Quiet you!" McDonough cut her off. She stared at him with a look that would melt steel. He motioned for us to back up. "Make room, the sooner you get her into the lockup, the better." McDonough strutted off, smoking a cigar, and I cursed myself for thinking he'd even come with us. Nine people in a small elevator is absolute hell. We were glued to the back, and couldn't even pull out our guns if we tried. I spoke up. "So...Long day, huh Ms. Wright?" She didn't turn around, but I could just sense her eyes rolling at that. "You think? I'm about to be locked up for god knows how long, while McDonough gets to walk away scot free." ... "From what?" The four guards turned towards me, and I mentally face palmed myself. I knew we'd only be in this elevator for about thirty more seconds, and I didn't feel like fighting out in the open. I tapped on the shoulders of my teammates, motioning for them to get ready. "So, guys, it seems this is a bit cramped for today's activities." Courier said. LW's Irish accent escaping in his sentence, "I agree, lad. Ms Wright, me an' me mates would like to advise you to duck." "I agree, kid...Now."

In an almost synchronized fashion, the three of us immediately administered a choke hold from behind to the three guards in front of us. Piper broke loose from the grips of her captors, and turned to the fourth guard who was about to help his teammates, and pushed him into the wall of the elevator, restricting him from going for a weapon. It would be hard to get into a fist fight with these guys, considering the armor on their face and chest, but I had gotten the team brass knuckles, for if the armor DID come off, we'd end the fight quickly. The guy I held was really squirming, and kept trying to go for his gun, but I got to it first. In the cramped space it was a miracle I was able to pull it from his holster, but I did. While I couldn't pull my arm up, I was able to aim for his leg. The shot ripped through his flesh and exited around his thigh, leaving the remnants of the bullet on the ground. Unfortunately for me, he headbutted me backwards, driving his armor against mine and really fucking with my head. I released the hold just as the doors opened.

The fight spilled outside the elevators, and I still had the guard's gun, which allowed me to easily dispatch two of the guards we were fighting, before LW's guard tackled me on to the ground, and started wrestling for control of it. Piper came to my aid, as the kid went to help Courier's man. She managed to pull a pistol from one of the dead guards, and fire it at my attacker's back. He yelled in agony, and fell beside me, writhing in pain. The three guards standing outside the elevator on the ground floor saw the dilemma and came to help, but Piper was faster, dropping the three of them with such precise headshots that even I was Impressed. She helped me up, and I wiped some of the blood coating my armor off. Another gunshot rang out, and Courier killed his own guard, as LW pulled out his own pistol, and was scanning the area for more guards. I bowed dramatically, saying hello to Piper, and removing my helmet. "Long time no see, eh beautiful?" She smiled, and pull me into a tight hug, almost cutting off my airway. "Jesus christ, Blue! Last time I saw you, you had enough cloth on you to call you a mummy!" She pulled back and looked at my partners. "Let me guess...The courier...And Preston?" LW took his mask off and shook my reporter's hand. "Nope. LW nice to meet you lass." She glanced at him sideways and chuckled. "Well, at least you finally found me someone with manners." Courier raised up from looting one of the dead guards. "Wait, what? What did I do?" I was about to ask a couple of questions, but LW cut me off, mentioning the amount of guards preparing to investigate the commotion. "Nat, sir?" "Yep." "Fuck!" I weighed our options. Option one, was we took the elevator back up to the mayor's office. We could kill the mayor, which would make seizing the city a cakewalk since they wouldn't have much leadership. Only problem was our escape would be back to the pool of pissed off guards. Option two, was to kill every guard challenging us, which would not only put Piper and my friends at risk, but we could risk waking the entire city with the amount of gunfire going on. Option three, was to run for our fucking lives, INTO THE GUARDS. You can guess what I picked.

We scurried around the corner, looking behind our shoulders routinely, waiting for the sight of armed guards approaching. We had managed to outrun the guards before they were fully aware of the situation, and took a right, past the other elevator, and making our way through the now alerted city. The filthy catwalk shook under the weight of at least four hundred pounds, as Piper led us to what she called, "The safest place besides her home." I don't really know why I DIDN'T expect it to be the dugout. I heard an audible groan, and Courier doubled over catching his breath. "N...Not this fucking place." Thankfully for us, we were still in our gear, so if we hid in the dugout for a while hopefully the heat would have reduced to the point where it would be safe to leave. I walked up to courier and straightened him up. "Come on...We'll be fine." We went through the door leading to the hallway to the dugout. As we were moving, I grabbed Piper's arm, and pulled the handcuffs from my belt with my other arm. "What are you doing?" "If we see any other guards in there, they'll be confused as to why three guards and a convict are just having a drink together." She pulled her hand out of my grip, and continued walking. "If we run into any trouble...We'll deal with it." I whistled and caught back up. "Ain't the pacifist getting some character development." She looked at me sideways and smiled. "I'm not saying we kill them, I've seen you get into plenty of bar fights with security and innocents alike and come out just fine." "Well, I am a master." We made it into the bar, and sidled up to the counter. There were two random citizens, having a drink on one of the couches. Vadim, always smiling, greeted us cordially. "Ah, my favorite kinds of customers, and I assume you're taking Ms. Wright here, out for a drink."

Courier spoke up, not needing to hide his voice. "We decided we need a drink before we escort Wright to her jail cell." Vadim and Courier eyed each other, Vadim looking suspiciously at the four of us. Ultimately, he smiled, reached down behind the bar and pulled out a bottle of beer, with a crudely drawn wrapper around the middle of it, proclaiming "Bobrov's best moonshine!" and Piper gagged at the sight of it. Vadim just chuckled at the reporter's negative reaction. "Bad memories, eh Ms. Wright?!" ''Ugh, that's the same shit I drank when I was poisoned, and still today I think I would have rather taken the poison." LW, the cocky bastard, walked past us three and took it from Vadim. "Nonsense! Hand me a corkscrew!" He got the cork out and immediately took a swig of the toxin. He stood still for a moment, put the bottle back on the table, and then unsteadily walked over to the rooms, out of sight from us, but we could still clearly hear the disgusting retching of the young soldier. "Another one bites the dust!" "Yeah...Anyway, Vadim, we'd like to just have a couple of drinks, regular drinks, mind you, and then head on out, so some regular vodka, whiskey, you know, the essentials. They'll do just fine." Courier told Vadim.

All four of us sat down on the other side of the room away from it's two original occupants, and were discussing the prospect of how to get the fuck out of dodge. "There's no way we can just walk through the gates and escape without the guard seeing us and raising an alarm. There's also Nat," I stopped Piper before she asked, "She's fine, she's at Nick's...We're gonna need to split up, to raise less suspicion." "What're you thinking, Blue?" "Piper and I will get out, I have an idea...But you two? Now that's something we're gonna need to think about. I mean, Nat isn't hard to identify..." Courier held up a hand, leaned forward, getting a bit more serious. "When I first got here, you and I managed to get in about three fights in less than twenty minutes, one of which, was between us. Since then, we've been through hell pretty much, and I personally consider you a close friend." I tapped him on his knee as a sign of respect. "I appreciate that." "That being said of course, I need to know that you can trust me and LW here, and I'm just saying because I know this is a touchy subject, to get Nat out by any means necessary." Piper leaned forward, about eye level with him. "Whatever you do, Courier...Do not get my sister in the crossfire." Her voice was little more than a quiet growl, not a threat but a promise that something bad would happen should Courier not abide by these rules. "You have my word I will. LW you ready?" The young recruit sat up crisply. "Absolutely, sir!" He smacked him on the back. "Damn good, soldier." He turned his attention back to us. "You two be-" "Jeez, Vadim, quiet night, huh?"

Piper and I locked eyes. Immediately, I pulled her up and motioned for my two comrades to go stall however many guards were coming through. Moving past a confused Yefim, I shoved Piper into an unoccupied room and closed the door. Turning back, LW and Courier, standing in front of the entrance to the hallway, were casually engaging in a conversation with a number of guards I could not see. I walked up behind them, heart pounding during the nine step travel, and peered through the shoulders of my friends, to see easily more than ten guards. All with guns. All looking very angry. The lead guard of the posse bumped through the two soldiers, leaning his rifle over his shoulder, and started walking around the bar. "You know, I'm surprised. That three of you managed to break away and get here before we did.'' I spoke up. "Yeah, well...What can we say? We were faster." He looked at me, and nodded. "Yeah...Well, we thought we'd catch her here. Only other places we'd figure she'd be at was her home and that detective's."

Thirteen guards, searching the bar for any trace of Piper, while an equal force was about to capture her sister. I didn't need to confer to LW or Courier. They knew what they needed to do. Only problem, was what to do about Vadim and Yefim. We couldn't kill them. _Yeah you could._ I could but I don't want to. The guards were done searching the bar side of the dugout and were now about to search the inn. I was powerless to stop this, unless I was prepared to start a full on gunfight against thirteen to fifteen opponents...Okay, I got this. I walked up to Vadim. "Listen, follow me." He chuckled. "Uh, what?" "Just...Follow me. Now." His friendly demeanor changed to a more scared one. "But...I-I have customers." "Look you know what this is about. If you didn't, you would've ratted me out to the guards. Let's be serious. Just come with me, I'm gonna get your brother, and me and my friends will deal with the problem in your bar. Just listen to us, get away from the carnage, and then you can come back. Okay?" He looked down, occasionally eying the other guards. One word from him could compromise this whole jailbreak. In the end, he looked back at me and nodded, hastily making his way through the hallway, as I explained to his brother what is happening.

22's. Generally considered a beginner's gun. But that's just very disrespectful. In '81 some psychopath tried to kill Reagan with a twenty two revolver. He managed to put at least three people on the ground, and one died from the injuries sustained from that 'beginner gun'. Everybody treats the 22 like a pea shooter, of course, until they get shot with one. I instructed the sharpshooting minutemen, the one's who wouldn't be on the front lines, to trade in their higher recoil, albeit more powerful weapons, for Ruger 10/22's, the best 22 rifle ever produced. That thing could shoot a toothpick outta somebody's mouth at three hundred yards. Add a silencer, you could take out a police station without no one knowing you were there. My trio had brought three in case of a situation like this. In our duffel bag, along with the disguises, were 1911 22's. Could shoot that one handed and have no recoil whatsoever. That said, We had to kill thirteen guards, all with sub machine guns, and we were armed with hunting rifles and tiny pistols. The odds weren't in our favor.

"Hey!" I yelled so loudly, all the guards stopped and looked. We all stood in silence for a couple of seconds. "...What?" One finally asked. _That's a good question_. "W-well, uh...You remember, she wasn't alone, right?'' One guard shrugged. "Yeah, so?" "Well, you do know that her partners were in guard uniforms." The lead guard stepped forward, head tilted. "And, just what are you saying?" "I'm saying, if they were in guard uniforms, they could've gotten one for her. And now with all them disguised, they could've easily just left through the gates without anyone turning a blind eye." ...You know that actually would've been a good idea to actually do. "Maybe you're right...But that's some great forward thinking for something that happened less than five minutes ago." The worst part about the amount of guards, was that I now didn't know who was who. LW and Courier both blended into the group, and I had no way of finding out. "What can I say? Have to get into the minds of the criminals." He chuckled and smiled. "Yeah, I know what you mean, the old, 'if I was a criminal where would I hide' trick, right?" "Spot on." "Oh yeah, yeah...Now...Let me just ask you, can I ask you something, it's two things." "Yeah, sure." "Okay, now I'm just a bit curious... Who are you? Better question, why are you carrying a rifle, we don't give rifles."

My hands were a sopping, sweaty mess. My pulse was pounding so hard it hurt, and I swear I could've died from a heart attack at that moment. I really couldn't say anything, because I knew, at that moment, he was on to me. Not minor suspicion, I was just sure that he knew it was me. "I asked you a question." "I know you did." "Do you have a name?" If I start firing, I'd have no way of knowing who I was gonna hit. So, I did the smart thing. I started firing! I pulled my pistol from my holster, firing four times at the man who blew it, cursing the tiny bullets which just barely were able to pierce the flimsy armor. Firing wildly into the crowd, I slid into cover on the side of the bar, pulling out the rifle from my back. I could still hear gunfire, but knew that most of it wasn't directed towards me. Standing from cover, I saw the absolute chaos of the situation. Multiple people firing at each other, and I spotted LW and Courier, rifles out, firing at the people nearest too them. Some guards didn't really know what was happening, so they just started firing at anybody. I aimed down the admittedly shitty sights of the rifle, firing at the people with sub machine guns. The rifles only needed two bullets to really punch through the armor, so it wasn't hard to take out the remaining guards that LW and Courier missed. All of a sudden, a bullet struck my back. My knees buckled underneath me, and I turned my head to see who did it. Turns out, I had completely forgotten about the drunken innocents on the sofa, and they were now drunkenly firing at minutemen and guards alike. Another bullet hit me, pushing me against the bar, and causing me to drop my rifle over it. I turned around as fast as I could, using my pistol, and manged to spot one man in a regular diamond city outfit, in which case, torn and over-sized, who also seemed to be aiming at me, and fired at him three times, dropping him, but not before taking another bullet to my right shoulder, causing me to lose my pistol.

The second man, who had a flannel shirt and dark, dirty jeans, noticed the loss of his friend, and decided to turn his attention to me, but not before getting shot by someone that I couldn't see due to my blindspot. He took a bullet that grazed his cheek, cutting through a tiny bit of flesh and releasing a small splatter of blood to fall onto the ground, no doubt leaving nasty scar when it would heal, and bounced back, surprised and firing rapidly at his attacker. Thankfully for my army training, I was no stranger to shooting with my left, and dived for the fallen gun, leaning on my right side, and fired my last three bullets, two hitting, and the last one missing due to a surge of pain, traveling from my neck to the rest of my body, as I realized I did something to my previous neck wound. The man fell back onto his sofa, using his 10mm to keep firing at his unknown attacker, and I managed to throw myself around the bar, taking cover, and retrieving my rifle. Almost abruptly as it started, it stopped. I shakily rose, leaning over the bar for support. The fight was over in less than twenty seconds, and when the dust cleared, it was obvious who was victorious.

No one, unfortunately. The first thing I saw was the bodies. Every single person in an outfit was on the ground, semi-alive, or dead. The alive writhed on the ground in blood of which most wasn't theirs. Guns were all over the floor, and I swallowed hard when I saw the beige color of a rifle mixed with the subs. Standing over the bodies, leaning against the wall, was Piper, panting, and holding a hand to the bottom right of her stomach, other hand clutching her smoking, blood ridden pistol. I laid my rifle on the counter, and walked over to Piper, my right shoulder stinging as I walked. She saw my arrival. "B-Blue." She collapsed into my chest, almost bringing us both down. I straightened up and looked down at the bodies, trying to spot the small figure of LW. I looked back at Piper. "H-How many did you get?" She was so still, I was afraid she had fainted. "...Three," She swallowed hard. "Plus...The guy shooting at you." I smiled, rubbing her back. "Good job...Shot?" She was breathing heavily onto my neck, and knew we had to move fast before her wound got worse. "Only once...But...Heh, they got me bad, huh Blue?..." "You'll be better than me...H-here." I disengaged from the hug, and threw her arm over my shoulder. "LW! C-Courier!" "It over?" One of the bodies laying face down said. "Hopefully." One of the guards stood up, no hesitation. He looked at me, taking off his mask, revealing the ruggedly handsome face of the Courier. He smiled, as he threw Piper's other arm over his shoulder. She groaned in pain as we took the first, and I held her hand and squeezed to try to alleviate the pain I knew all too well. "You played dead?" "Yeah...I mean maybe."

"LW?!" Courier shouted. No response. "Listen, you go ahead, I'll try and find him. It's weird, his gun isn't in the pile." "Speaking of gun...Grab mine." I tucked my pistol into my holster. I needed to get to Nick's and then I needed to get to Piper's. I had a stimpack there, if I took it, I'd be up and ready. The wound wasn't that bad, it all went through, I could tell. I was worried about my neck though, and I made a mental note to check with the doc about it. Piper leaned against me as I led her through the hallway back out to the world. "Where is she...?" "Nick's...Hopefully."

When we emerged from the bar, I thought all hell had broken loose. Gunshots rang out in the distance, and citizens were running off to safety. "The fuck?" Vadim was running up from around the corner, looking back like he was being chased by Nicholson with an axe. "My friend! You're alive!" "The hell is happening Vadim?!" "A gunfight at that synth's house! One of the guards, he's gone fucking crazy!" I nodded my head. "I see...Get inside, where's your brother?" "We got split up. I don't know." "Listen, there's wounded people in your bar, shit's a bloodbath..." I looked down at Piper's stomach. I gently took her hand off her wound, and inspected it. If I had a FUCKING stimpack, it could put her back to normal, but...Fuck. I couldn't make any proper diagnosis as to how fucked Piper was, but with her layers of clothes, I couldn't tell anyway. I COULD tell, that it was pretty bad, as a lot of blood was seeping through those layers. "Vadim, stimpacks, do you have any?" "In my bar-" I motioned for him to take Piper. "Take her there, get her fixed up." "No..." She tried to hold onto my arm, but Vadim easily picked her up. "Okay." "Thank you." I pulled my pistol out, taking out the magazine, putting in a freshly loaded one, and flicking the slide lock. Ten bullets, that's it. Great.

I advanced to Nicks agency, stepping over multiple dead bodies. "Jesus." All of them were guards, all of them dead. I lifted the helmet of one dead guard. A perfect, between the eyes shot. A large trickle of blood poured from the wound, and I wiped my hands on my uniform that was redder than Piper's coat. The gunshots I had sustained didn't help my mobility at all. I tripped over dead bodies left and right. As I reached the entrance to the house, I counted the bodies, curiously. Twelve on my left, and three on my right. Whoever this was, was elite. Military level. Advancing quietly, I slowly opened the door, keeping the pistol against my chest, and looking for any signs of trouble inside. Looking inside, I could see a guard, sub machine gun in hand, ordering around Nick, as another guard, rifle indicated it was LW, lay bleeding from his face against the desk, clutching at his wound. "Where is she?!" Nick had his hands up, but wasn't complying with the guard. He stood still, not moving or saying anything. His secretary, who was by the bedroom, was pulled into the room, legs kicked out from under her, and the guard held the gun to the back of her head, ready to administer an execution if Nick didn't answer. She was bawling, a big difference from the always cool, calm, collected Nick. I sneaked in, partially closing the door behind me. "Where is the girl?! Answer, or this one gets it!" Nick noticed my arrival, and his mouth curved upward, sensing the guards imminent demise.

I pointed my pistol at the guards unknowing head. Slowly, I pulled the trigger. And as I pulled it, because I'm the most bipolar-ly lucky person on earth, two things happened at the same time. The guard bent over, grabbing onto Ellie, and trying to pull her up to make her get on her knees. Because of this, his head bent down, just barely out of the range of the now traveling bullet. The bullet hit the far wall, almost hitting Nick in the head. The second important thing that happened, was that the pistol jammed. Stupid, cheap, unreliable, jamming, fucking dogshit. Bullshit! Now, no one in the room really seemed to register what just happened. Nick, because he was shocked at how close I was to me shooting his fucking nose off. Ellie, because she was too busy begging for her life. Me, because I didn't realize that the pistol that had worked JUST FINE five minutes ago, jammed in the most important time. The guard, because he didn't realize I was even in the room, and LW, because he didn't even know what planet he was on. But, that shock-ness didn't continue for more than two seconds. I racked the slide back, ejecting the bullet, but the guard only had the throw himself back, throwing us against the wall. He grabbed at my gun, turning around and now facing me, so I ejected the magazine and fired into the ceiling. I threw a powerful hook, remembering the fact that I chose to wore brass knuckles, but what I didn't realize, was that throwing a powerful hook with metal in your hand, against almost a stone wall, really kinda hurts. Like really bad, hurts.

The guard doubled over, stumbling off to the right, and I took my brass knuckles off, about to inspect my hand. Of course, I decided against that, and instead returned to the task at hand... _Oh. Haha, I get it._ "Hey!" Nick caught my attention from his desk. I looked over, and watched as he threw a browning through the air, probably LW's, and I plucked it out of it's descent, looking back over at the guard, and firing into his back, in one smooth motion. It was a ten bullet magazine, but LW already shot half of it, so I only had five. Shot after shot, I barely needed to control the gun because it had so little recoil. After every shot, the guard stumbled forward, hitting the wall, and slid it down it, blood painting the wall he was leaning on. I dropped the 1911, and went over to LW. He was still hiding his face, leaning against the desk in the fetal position. "LW get up." I looked back over at Ellie, gently pulling her up, and guiding her over to Nick. The detective took her from me, nodding his head. "It was crazy, kid. All I heard was gunshots, when he broke in." I looked at my recruit, kneeling down to his level. '' The guard came outta nowhere. One second he wasn't here, next second he was. The kid turned around to see him," I noticed the discarded helmet LW was holding. It was only as I got closer, that I realized just how much blood there actually was... I reached for LW's hand. "They struggled, and he grabbed for his sidearm, but... The guard used it against him." Nick continued. I pulled the blood soaked hand from LW's cheek. He looked at me, and I saw the problem.

His cheek was ripped, a jagged hold going directly from his cheek through his mouth. His mouth was open, so I could clearly see the disgusting, torn flesh the bullet had made. Blood dressed his features, from his cheek bone, to his neck, back to his teeth. His other hand, which I had pulled from his face, lifted up again, and opened it, to show me something. In his hand, was a single 22lr bullet casing.

The reason why twenty-two's are hit and miss, is because if you get hit one, the bullet isn't really powerful enough to go through. It can bounce around inside you, tearing up your insides, and definitely hurting you in the long run. If it does go through by bad luck, the wound is so small, any attacker can fight through it. Well, that goes the same for any gun, but it still applies to the twenty two, specifically. With all that said, what I'm trying to say, is that I'm surprised his entire face wasn't shot the fuck off. Even funnier, the wound was small, bout the size of a quarter. So much blood...It's incredible how much the body can hold.

The next minute was a blur. Nick told me where Nat was (Under his bed), and he tried as best he could, to hold LW's cheek together. Looking under the bed, my eyes met with Nat's, almost the same eyes as her sister's. She breathed a sigh of relief, seeing my face, and I gently pulled her out from under. "Missed me kiddo?" She quickly stood, nodding, and looking around. "Where's...Piper?" I dodged the question, motioning for her to follow me. "Don't worry, we'll see her." She didn't question it, and I was just worried about whether or not she noticed the dead body we just walked over. I stopped, waiting for Nat to catch up, and Held my hand over her eyes. "What're you doing?!" "Don't worry, just walk." I walked past the gruesome scene, quickly shoving Nat outside, and closing the door. Looking back to Nick, I spoke. "How am I gonna get him out, Nick?" "How are you gonna get him out? Easily." "Easily? There's thirty dead guards that didn't die that easy." "Really? Seemed pretty damn easy with how this kid was taking them out." "Well, Piper's shot. So am I. And I'm pretty sure I have opened every single stab wound in my body, so fuck you, and your easy, medium, hard, whatever bullshit-" "Get on with it-" "Nononono, unless you have a stimpack, you're gonna shut the fuck up..." Nick's piercing eyes stared into mine. "...What the hell do you want from this city, man?"

I carried LW, who was semi-conscious, with our helmets on, and a rag bandaged to his face, through the winding streets of Diamond city, with Nat helping as our lookout for oncoming guards. I needed to meet up with Courier and Piper, and we needed to get out. Limping slowly up to the tunnel, Yefim appeared from the darkness, running up and pulling us into the walkway, helping LW in the same way Courier did with Piper, increasing our speed drastically. "Hey, friend." I looked over at him. "Got mixed up?" "Yes...The city is in chaos. Curfew has been set." I chuckled to myself at that revelation. "Heh, guess I stirred up some trouble." "It is no laughing matter. People are killing each other, looting, like the end of the world is upon us." "Yeah, well...Nothing I can do, so what?" He shook his head. "You are a bastard, friend." "Damn straight."

We arrived in the lobby, Piper had her coat off, her midsection wrapped, sprawled across the couch. Courier crouched over the bodies, looting ammo, caps, whatever he could find from the bodies. I caught his eye, and he came up to me to help LW to a couch. Vadim sat at the bar, solemnly looking at the scene of carnage. As soon as I entered, Piper stood up quickly, unsteadily rushing over to pull me, and Nat, into a three way hug. I gently kissed her forehead, thankful for finally not being shot at, or in constant danger for once. I held the moment for as long as I could, savoring the rare heat radiating from her loving embrace, an uncommon thing in the commonwealth. Nat held on tightly to her sister, shaking. "I missed you so much, sis." Piper smiled, ruffling her hair. "Aw, I missed you two, kiddo!" To be honest, looking at the three of us, Piper, Nat and I...It brought a comfort that I had missed so much. A familial one. I never got to experience something like that with...Nora. It had been so long since I said her name. _And why is that? In fact, why is it that you never even think that much about her anymore?_ Too far. _I'm not going too far. In fact, I'm barely scratching the surface._ _And to be honest, I don't really care what you think of your wife, in fact, I find it appealing you don't care._ I do care! _Yeah. Right. That's why you're leading a military to capture and annex this city?_ The minutemen will grow stronger from this. _Maybe that is your motivation. But it brings back something in you doesn't it? The military, the gunfights the shooting. You never experienced that in the old, boring, normal world, huh?_

No. I haven't _. Tell me, Blue. When was it that you forgot your own name?_ I don't remember. _When I popped in your head, maybe?_ Maybe. _I've seen your work. I know why you haven't been trying to find the institute._ No, you don't. _You never wanted a boring life that your boring wife, your boring job, and your boring kids you would have, promised, am I incorrect?_... _Face it, Piper being with you, now, felt better than anytime you ever spent with your wife._ Kellogg, stop! _She's perfect for you. Wants to help the world, stop the corrupt authority, and isn't shy of getting her hands dirty every once in a while. She isn't different from you. Fuck, only difference I can think of, is you're a bit more brutal in your work. But it's the same ending. The same job, same promotion. You love the anarchy. Just face it, man. You love Piper more than you loved your old wife. I can't blame you. She's smart, funny, beautiful, and her sister is just like her, giving you the child you always wished for...Well, I don't know anything about that, but I can assume. At least Piper has grasped the fact that approval, and reputation isn't everything in this world, a thing you, and I assume everyone from the old world never did. She broke her ego. Are you prepared to break yours?_ What has happened to you, Kellogg?

Piper pulled back, and looked me in the eyes. "Are we safe?" I frowned, and reluctantly broke it, shaking my argument with Kellogg from my head, walking over to the bar as I talked. "Not yet. We still need to get out before they are able to regroup. If what Yefim told me is true, we'll have enough cover to sneak out dressed as guards. For you two," I motioned towards the two sisters. "I'll need to improvise." "Hey!" I looked over at Courier, as he tossed my rifle at me. I caught it with both hands, laying it down gently on the counter, and admired the beautiful wooden texture. Turning my attention back to my friend, "Courier, you need to take LW. I'll find a way to get Piper and Nat, but you need to go NOW." He looked at LW, who had his mask off, and was sitting on one of the chairs. Leaning back with his eyes closed, and the rag tightly held onto his cheek. "He's marked?" Courier asked. "Badly. He needs the doctor." He swore under his breath. Turning back to me. "I can get Nat out...If you want, I can handle LW and her." I looked over at Nat, and saw how closely she stood with Piper. I was proud of Nat, to be honest, with how calm she was during everything. You know, like the riot, bodily harm, execution... I cursed myself, knowing I'd regret this later. "No...I got it...Thank you, though." I walked closer, leaning to his ear, and whispered. "If we don't make it within an hour of your arrival, start it." He nodded his head, grabbing at his helmet, and putting it on to once again, mask his identity.

It felt like hours, but we'd only been in Diamond city for like, less than fifty minutes. In that time, we braved thirty officers, and were now down three people, with Courier and Nat the only ones not hurt. Piper had a wound that seemed to have healed with the stimpack, so that's good. She walked more steadily through the streets, taking off her signature, red coat, and wrapping her scarf over the bottom half of her face. Nat, the sneaky little one she is, kept watch for patrolling guards, while hiding should one pass by. The effects of a stimpack Vadim lent me, carried me through the streets, numbing out the pain like an anesthetic...So, an anesthetic. A stimpack is a real marvel of technology, used extremely briefly, and experimentally, during the War. After some minor side-effects started emerging, drowsiness, numbing sensations, shaking hands, they were pulled from combat to be tested further. Fortunately, the time that they were used, were instrumental in the 'victory' of the war. They would heal bullet wounds slightly, making it easier for a doctor to stitch it up, unless the caliber used was below a .38 in which case the wound could fix itself over time. Unfortunately, no one had time to add 10mm to that list, and with the fact that most people carry around a 10mm, while I'm one of the only people in the entire fucking commonwealth to carry around a 22, a stimpack won't do us much good without a doctor...But I digress.

"How are we gonna get through?" Piper's muffled voice finally spoke. "...Just keep walking." "And what if they stop us-" "We'll deal with it." She shook her head, turning back to the road. I squeezed her hand, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry. They're gonna be too distracted with finding us to-...Huh." With Yefim's warning about a riot, we hadn't seen much, till we got to the center. Guards were swarming the area, searching people with force, forcing other's into their homes, or out of them. Multiple people were on the ground, handcuffed or trying to fight back. Screaming drowned out the beatings, people calling for each other, asking if they were alright. Nat stopped dead in her tracks, watching the oppression. I made eye contact with several guards, as I shook her, telling her we needed to go. My outfit managed to stop a guard from looking us over, because if they did, they could easily recognize Piper, if not Nat. Looking over by the surplus, one man was getting beaten by two guards with sluggers, putting his hands weakly up to defend the assault, while he moved in and out of consciousness. I couldn't hold it for much longer, and I needed to get to the exit before I lost control. I gagged under my mask, watching the brutal display, as it seemed that the 'riot' was just an excuse for the guards to legally be able to beat the citizens of Diamond city. A man was slammed against the wall, blood splattering it, as the guards roughly handcuffed him, making sure to pocket his pockets, like any good authority. A woman, standing on the outskirts, watching with the same level of disgust, but with the same level of morbid curiosity as me, was harassed by one guard, as he started pushing her around like a fucking ragdoll, chuckling slightly to himself at the woman's expense. He finally pushed her off, telling her to go home, showing, easily, the biggest act of mercy committed by any guard.

The riot was probably started by the guards themselves, considering the fact that I haven't seen a single person actually committing any act of rioting. In fact, some people were being pulled from their homes, thrown on the ground, and either beaten, or robbed, which isn't how riots normally are.

 _Fucking brutal, aren't they?_ This entire system is corrupt. _What did you expect?_ _An entire city of assholes, with the psychos and sadists being given the job to look over less dangerous psychos and sadists. This city needs to be purged-_ When did you even start giving a fuck? _Around the time I realized that if I'm going to be stuck in here, I needed to start participating._ I'll make sure to hand you a plaque. _I'm serious! That rifle, in your hand. Think about how easy it should be, to level it, and pop one of those guards right in the back. O-or that 1911! Ten rounds to the back he-_ What the hell is wrong with you? You've never been this talkative. _We'll talk later. You should start paying more attention, like to the fact that Piper's not walking by you, and you should probably go find out why_. The lack of sarcasm actually made me turn-

"And that's when we saw that she had been held up." "Told you it wasn't gonna work." Piper interrupted, as she leaned against the wall, cigarette in hand. I never did like the smoking. Hated it in fact. But it was her choice, and she could do what she wants to, so I let it be. "Sorry, I didn't bring an extra female guard outfit, believe it or not, they were pretty scarce." She chuckled. "Smartass...At least you could give me the helmet!" "...It's over, let's not critique what could've or couldn't happen." "Don't worry, I'll just critique in the article." I shook my head. "Oh no! No articles-" "Why?! It'll be about you!" "Oh thanks I didn't realize. How do you plan to print it, even?" "I'll just use my house." "Oh yeah, good idea, let's go now-" "Sure, lead the way, I'll pack. Bring another hunting rifle, it'll work out fine-" "LW killed everyone with it, so it did work out fine." "Yeah, just not for his face." "Eh, he was never that good looking, did him a favor." "How do you figure you did him a favor? The other guy shot him!" "I gave him the pistol-" "Oh yeah, so every gun supplier is solely responsible for every death made by the gun." "Technically, y-" "Are you gonna get on with the story?" Preston asked, agitated from our friendly bickering. He was now able to talk, but the wounds to his chest would keep him down for a couple of...Something, the doctor wasn't clear. I had been telling Preston about our jailbreak, making sure to leave my inner monologue out, and kept him company for the time being. "Yeah, sorry. Before I was," I shot a fake dirty look to Piper, "Rudely interrupted," She half smiled, her features lit by the light of the lighter making her seem even more beautiful in the dark lighting (Get it?). "She had gotten pulled over."

"The fuck?" A guard had Piper by the arm, tugging the scarf out of her face. Succeeding, the scarf fell, our cover blown, city alerted, war started, there is no god, yadayadayada, it was a bad place for us. "The hell off of me!" Piper deftly threw a kick to the guard's outside leg. She hit him directly on the side of the knee, definitely fucking up his leg something fierce. He yelped sharply, stunned long enough for Piper to escape his grasp. I leveled my rifle, aiming for his wobbly state, firing into his chest, killing him, and effectively alerting every guard to our presence. ''Okay, Piper, time to move." I grabbed her arm, and pulled her up the stairs, firing blindly in the direction of the guards. We had crossed the distance in less than five seconds, and were sprinting up to the exit when we were stopped dead in our tracks by-

"Wait! Let me guess...It's that Johnny guy, right? Or uh...maybe Banks made his return? Came back for one last stand to take you down-" "No, you were right the first time, but I appreciate the creativity." "I still don't understand why you hate him. I already told you the story was bullshit." She did, and I knew Johnny made up that pointless story just to get under my skin, but I knew he was still a douche. "I know, but he's still a fucking weirdo. Anyway,"

We shared a brief moment of eye contact before a heavy hook rocked me. I blacked out for half a second, doubling over and stepping on myself. "Missed me?!" He turned his attention to Piper, whom he grabbed with both hands and threw her against the wall of the tunnel, knocking the wind out of her, before preparing to do the same to me. He threw another punch, which I barely dodged, and used all my strength to charge and tackle him down the stairs, laying us both out on the floor. I let go of my rifle, grimacing in pain and examined my body for wounds of the fall. I shakily rose, quickly pulling out my pistol, and shot the downed Johnny in the face-

"Wait, what?" "Yeah, I shot him in the face."


End file.
